IVith  the  cofnpliments  of 

'^ '  -     ■  Mrs,  Morris  K,  Jesup 


MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 


Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  business,  he  shall  stand 
before  kings 


MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

A  CHARACTER  SKETCH 


BY 

WILLIAM    ADAMS    BROWN 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1910 


•  5 


Copyright,  1910,  by 
WILLIAM  ADAMS  BROWN 


TO  THOSE  WHO  LOVE  THEIR  KIND  AND  PROVE 
THEIR  LOVE  BY  SERVICE 


923181 


PREFACE 

It  was  Mrs.  Jesup's  hope  that  Dr.  Charles  Cuthbert 
Hall,  Mr.  Jesup's  long-time  friend  and  trusted  counsellor, 
would  tell  the  story  which  these  pages  record.  I  have 
before  me  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Hall  in  answer  to  the 
suggestion  that  he  undertake  the  work,  in  which  he  ex- 
presses his  conviction  that  the  life  of  Mr.  Jesup  ought  to 
be  written,  and  with  a  few  rapid  but  sure  touches  sketches 
in  outline  what  he  believes  such  a  biography  should  be. 
Like  all  that  Dr.  Hall  did,  the  subject  is  generously  con- 
ceived. Of  his  own  relation  to  Mr.  Jesup  he  writes: 
"  I  loved  him,  admired  him,  and,  I  think,  in  a  measure, 
understood  him,  for  in  many  matters  he  opened  his  heart 
to  me,  and,  if  I  were  free,  it  would  be  my  desire  to  give 
my  whole  mind  and  whatever  powers  I  possess  to  the  ful- 
filment of  this  work,  with  the  utmost  thoroughness  and 
finish.  He  was,  in  my  judgment,  the  ideal  American  lay- 
man, and  an  adequate  biography  of  his  splendidly  com- 
plete life  would  accomplish  in  the  world  of  affairs  what 
the  life  of  Phillips  Brooks  did  in  another  sphere." 

Less  than  two  months  after  these  words  were  written. 
Dr.  Hall  had  passed  away,  and  the  task  which  he  had  so 
ardently  anticipated  was  left,  with  many  others,  to  be 
carried  on  by  different  hands. 

The  plan  of  the  pages  that  follow  is  a  more  modest  one 
than  that  outlined  by  Dr.  Hall.  What  is  offered  is  not 
a  biography,  but,  as  the  title  indicates,  a  character  sketch. 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

More  than  this  the  materials  available  do  not  allow.  Mr. 
Jesup  was  not  a  man  of  words,  but  of  deeds.  He  never 
wrote  a  letter  when  he  could  accomplish  his  end  by  an 
interview,  and  of  the  letters  which  he  wrote  and  received, 
only  a  handful  have  been  preserved.  A  brief  autobio- 
graphical fragment  in  his  own  handwriting  has  preserved 
a  few  dates  and  facts  concerning  the  early  years.  But  for 
the  most  part  the  story  of  his  life  must  be  gleaned  from 
the  records  of  the  institutions  which  he  served,  or  woven 
together  from  the  memories  which  survive  in  the  hearts 
of  his  fellow-workers.  If,  in  spite  of  these  limitations,  it 
has  been  possible  to  give  any  degree  of  unity  to  the  picture, 
the  explanation  must  be  found  in  the  forcefulness  of  a 
character,  which  stamped  itself  so  deeply  upon  whatever 
it  touched,  that,  even  after  the  lapse  of  years,  the  impress 
preserves  something  of  the  virility  and  distinction  of  the 
original. 

To  the  many  friends  of  Mr.  Jesup  who  have  assisted 
the  writer,  either  by  written  contributions  or  personal  con- 
versations, he  desires  to  express  his  grateful  appreciation. 
So  far  as  possible,  acknowledgment  has  been  made  of 
this  assistance  at  the  appropriate  place  in  the  text,  but  the 
most  effective  help  received  is  of  a  kind  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  estimate  in  words.  Sidelights  shed  upon  a 
character  in  the  course  of  a  conversation,  incidental  refer- 
ences revealing  the  total  impression  produced  as  a  re- 
sult of  a  life-long  association — this  is  evidence  which  is 
none  the  less  valuable  because  it  produces  its  effect  by 
indirection. 


CONTENTS 

I.  THE  MAN  WE  KNEW I 

II.  ANCESTRY  AND  BIRTH 8 

III.  BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION 17 

IV.  THE  YEARS   OF  PREPARATION 28 

V.  WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN 42 

VI.  THE  PHILANTHROPIST 60 

VII.  THE  CHURCHMAN  86 

VIII.  THE  REPRESENTATIVE   CITIZEN 1 13 

IX.  THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM I36 

X.  THE  FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE      .      .  1 56 

XI.  THE  DISCOVERY  OF   THE  NORTH  POLE         .      .      .  1 88 

XII.  IN  THE  HOME   CIRCLE 20I 

XIII.  THE   LAST  DAYS 219 

XIV.  THE  INNER  LIFE 23I 

Index 241 


MORRIS    KETCHUM    JESUP 

CHAPTER  I         *     • 

THE  MAN  WE  KNEW 

A  T  almost  any  gathering  of  well-known  New  Yorkers 
held  during  the  last  dozen  years,  one  might  have  seen 
a  man  well  past  middle  life,  whose  erect  form  and  com- 
manding presence  attracted  immediate  attention.  More 
than  six  feet  tall,  with  broad  forehead,  firm  mouth,  promi- 
nent chin,  and  quick,  penetrating  eyes,  which  seemed  to 
look,  not  so  much  at  as  through  the  object  of  their  survey, 
he  impressed  the  observer  at  once  as  one  accustomed  to 
deal  with  large  affairs.  His  iron-gray  whiskers,  worn 
more  full  than  is  the  custom  to-day,  recalled  the  portraits 
of  an  earlier  generation,  and  there  was  about  his  whole 
person  a  certain  air  of  distinction — an  Old-World  courtesy 
and  grace  that  has  become  all  too  rare.  But  the  courtesy 
served  only  to  emphasize  a  forcefulness  and  decision  of 
character  which  manifested  itself  in  every  motion  and 
was  no  less  evident  in  repose.  It  did  not  need  the  defer- 
ence with  which  he  was  treated  by  those  whom  he  ad- 
dressed, nor  the  familiarity  which  he  showed  with  the 
subjects  under  discussion  in  the  different  groups  through 


2  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

which  he  moved,  to  make  the  bystander  realize  that  this 
was  a  man  who  filled  a  large  place  in  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity. 

This  first  impression  would  have  been  confirmed  by 
closer  contact.  The  inquirer  would  have  discovered  that 
Mr.  Jesup — for  it  is  of  course  he  of  whom  we  are  speak- 
ing— held  a  number  of  official  positions  unusual  even  in 
these  days  of  wide  interests  and  large  responsibilities. 
He  v/^s  l^iesident  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  a  position  to  which  he  was  elected 
in  1899  and  which  he  held  until  a  few  months  before  his 
death.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  Pres- 
ident of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  of 
which  he  had  been  one  of  the  founders.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
its  President  from  1872  to  1875,  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^"^^  ^f  his 
death  Chairman  of  its  Board  of  Trustees.  For  twenty- 
two  years  he  was  President  of  the  New  York  City  Mission 
and  Tract  Society,  a  position  which  he  retained  until 
within  five  years  of  his  death,  when  he  became  Honorary 
President.  For  more  than  thirty-five  years  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry.  He  was 
President  of  the  American  Sunday-school  Union,  of  the 
Peary  Arctic  Club,  of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  of  the 
Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  of  the  New 
England  Society,  and  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  at 
Beirut.  He  was  first  Vice-President  of  the  New  York  In- 
stitution for  the  Instruction  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  and 
Vice-President  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  of  the 
American  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals, 
and  of  the  Pilgrims.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
for  many  years  the  Vice-President  of  the  Society  for  the 


THE  MAN  WE   KNEW  3 

Suppression  of  Vice.  He  was  Treasurer  of  the  John  F. 
Slater  Fund  for  the  Education  of  Freedmen,  and  a  mem- 
ber both  of  the  Peabody  and  of  the  General  Education 
Boards.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Rapid  Transit  Com- 
mission, which  built  the  first  subway  in  the  City  of  New 
York.  He  was  one  of  the  founders,  and  for  seven  years 
a  trustee,  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital.  He  was  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Hospital  Saturday  and  Sunday  Association,  of 
the  Society  for  the  Relief  of  Half  Orphan  and  Destitute 
Children,  and  of  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a 
mem.ber  of  many  other  scientific,  educational,  and  philan- 
thropic institutions,  in  which  he  held  no  official  position, 
but  in  the  work  of  which  he  was  actively  interested. 

The  list  is  significant  for  the  breadth  as  well  as  the 
number  of  the  interests  which  it  includes.  Science,  edu- 
cation, philanthropy,  and  religion  are  all  represented. 
One  who  followed  Mr.  Jesup  through  the  duties  and  en- 
gagements which  filled  his  days  and  weeks  would  have 
found  that  he  had  touched  most  of  the  streams  which 
fed  the  higher  life  of  the  community.  To  a  remarkable 
degree  it  is  true  that  the  story  of  his  later  years  is  the 
history  of  philanthropy  in  New  York. 

In  all  the  organizations  with  which  he  was  connected 
Mr.  Jesup  was  an  active  participant.  He  never  lent  his 
name  to  any  enterprise  in  which  he  did  not  believe,  and 
when  he  gave  himself  he  gave  without  reserve.  It  is  not 
often  permitted  to  a  single  man  to  exercise  a  decisive  in- 
fluence in  so  many  diflFerent  spheres  of  activity,  and  when 
it  is  remembered  that  Mr.  Jesup's  training  was  that  of 
the  business  man  rather  than  of  the  student  or  the  artist, 
this  becomes  the  more  striking.  One  who  had  excep- 
tional opportunities  to  judge  his  career  has  truly  said  of 


4  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

him  that  "it  is  doubtful  if  there  ever  Hved  in  America  or 
any  other  country  a  man  trained  originally  for  business 
who  developed  more  universal  sympathies  and  interests."^ 

This  sympathy  for  whatever  enlarges  and  enriches 
human  life  gave  distinction  to  Mr.  Jesup's  career.  Into 
each  of  his  multifarious  activities  there  entered  two  ele- 
ments inseparable  from  the  man,  romance  and  common- 
sense.  He  was  at  once  an  idealist  and  a  man  of  affairs. 
He  had  the  vision  of  the  future  which  kindles  enthusiasm, 
combined  with  a  shrewd  practical  knowledge  of  what  can 
safely  be  attempted  in  the  present.  In  this,  as  in  so  much 
else,  he  was  a  typical  American. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  typical,  in  the  first  place,  in  the  large- 
ness of  his  conceptions.  Something  of  the  breadth  of 
the  land  of  his  birth  attached  to  all  he  did  and  planned. 
He  was  never  content  with  what  had  already  been  achieved. 
He  was  always  seeing  something  greater  still  to  be  done. 
It  was  this  quality  which  attracted  him  to  Peary  and  led 
him  to  support  the  explorer  in  his  efforts  to  reach  the 
North  Pole.  The  enterprise  appealed  to  Mr.  Jesup  be- 
cause it  pushed  discovery  to  its  furthest  limit  and 
measured  the  sum  of  possible  human  achievement  in 
exploration. 

This  breadth  of  view  is  strikingly  illustrated  in  con- 
nection with  the  chief  interest  of  his  life,  his  presidency 
of  the  Natural  History  Museum.  He  wished  to  make  the 
Museum  the  best  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  world  in  all 
the  different  respects  by  which  success  in  such  an  en- 
terprise can  be  measured.  He  wished  to  make  it  first  in 
its  contribution  to  research.  He  beheved  it  ought  to  be  a 
place  to  which  scholars  should  look  for  the  last  word  of 

*  President  H.  F.  Osborn,  in  Science,  February  7,  1908. 


THE  MAN  WE   KNEW  5 

science  in  the  departments  with  which  it  was  concerned, 
and  to  this  end  he  encouraged  the  expenditure  of  large 
sums  for  expeditions  which  were  designed  to  add  to  the 
sum  of  human  knowledge  and  for  the  publications  which 
made  these  results  accessible  when  they  had  been  attained. 
He  wished  to  make  it  first  in  its  facilities  for  effective  ex- 
hibition, and  thought  no  cost  of  time  or  money  too  great 
which  would  secure  the  introduction  of  some  new  and 
attractive  method  of  display.  The  wonderful  reproduc- 
tions of  bird  and  animal  life  which  delight  visitors  to 
the  Museum  are  illustrations  in  point.  He  wished  finally 
to  make  it  first  as  an  agency  of  popular  instruction,  and 
nothing  delighted  him  more  than  to  see  its  rooms  thronged 
with  working  men  and  children  from  the  tenements  study- 
ing the  labels  which  set  forth  in  simple  language  the 
nature  of  the  objects  which  the  cases  contained. 

As  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Mr.  Jesup 
was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  erection  of  the 
splendid  and  stately  structure  which  is  now  its  perma- 
nent home.  Its  beauty  and  dignity  were  to  him  suitable 
symbols  of  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  true  function  of 
the  Chamber,  as  the  spokesman  and  representative  of 
the  higher  aspects  of  the  business  life  of  New  York.  It 
was  the  same  with  all  that  he  undertook.  Whether  he 
dealt  with  the  Southern  question,  as  in  the  Slater  Fund, 
the  economic  question,  as  in  his  work  for  forest  preserva- 
tion, the  religious  question,  as  in  the  City  Mission  and 
Tract  Society,  or  the  educational  question,  as  in  Union 
Seminary  and  the  Syrian  Protestant  College,  everywhere 
we  find  him  striking  out  new  paths  and  seeking  the  solu- 
tion of  new  problems.  He  was  always  a  leader,  never 
simply  a  follower. 


6  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Mr.  Jesup  was  typical  further  in  the  fact  that  his  suc- 
cess was  so  largely  the  result  of  his  own  individual  effort. 
The  premature  death  of  his  father  deprived  him  of  the 
counsel  and  support  upon  which  most  boys  rely  for  their 
start  in  life,  and  early  threw  him  on  his  own  resources. 
When  he  was  twelve  years  old  he  left  school  and  went  into 
business  in  order  to  help  his  mother,  whose  fortune  had 
been  swept  away  by  the  panic  of  1837.  He  began  his 
career  as  an  office  boy  at  a  salary  of  two  hundred  dollars  a 
year.  Before  he  was  twenty-one  he  was  filling  a  position 
of  responsibility,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  was  able 
to  start  a  successful  business  for  himself.  With  equal 
courage  and  foresight  he  entered  upon  a  field  compara- 
tively new  at  the  time,  the  distribution  of  railroad  sup- 
plies. His  industry  and  thrift,  combined  with  business 
talents  of  a  rare  order,  soon  gave  him  a  commanding  posi- 
tion in  the  business  world.  He  was  associated  at  different 
times  with  many  important  enterprises  and  had  business 
connections  with  many  well-known  men.  His  credit  was 
always  of  the  highest  and,  though  for  nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  century  before  his  death  he  had  retired  from  active 
business,  he  left  an  ample  fortune. 

He  was  typical,  finally,  in  the  use  which  he  made  of 
his  wealth.  Trained  in  a  New  England  home  in  the  Puri- 
tan tradition  of  responsibility,  he  began  to  give  away  as 
soon  as  he  had  anything  to  give.  As  his  power  enlarged, 
his  benefactions  increased  correspondingly.  He  gave,  not 
only  his  money,  but  his  time,  his  strength,  his  sympathy — 
in  a  word,  himself.  With  the  advancing  years  the  strain 
of  these  outside  interests  increased,  until  he  saw  that  he 
could  not  do  justice  to  them  if  he  continued  in  active 
business.     Accordingly,  in  1884,  while  still  in  the  prime 


THE  MAN  WE   KNEW  7 

of  life  and  in  the  full  flush  of  an  exceptionally  successful 
business  career,  he  determined,  contrary  to  the  advice  of 
many  whose  opinions  he  valued  highly,  to  give  up  business 
and  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  philanthropy.  From 
this  time  until  his  death,  a  period  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  he  threw  himself  into  the  task  of  working  for 
others  with  as  much  ardor  and  continuity  of  effort  as  most 
men  devote  to  earning  a  livelihood,  and  when,  in  1908, 
the  news  flashed  across  the  wire  that  his  restless  brain 
and  generous  hand  were  stilled,  men  freely  said  that  New 
York  had  lost  her  foremost  citizen. 

The  story  to  which  these  pages  are  to  be  given  is  thus 
not  merely  of  local  or  individual  interest.  It  is  the  story 
of  a  representative  life,  a  life  whose  activities  affected  the 
welfare  of  many  men,  and  whose  services  have  left  their 
permanent  record  in  institutions  of  far-reaching  influence. 
Such  men  as  Mr.  Jesup,  private  citizens  only  in  name, 
give  tone  to  our  public  life  and  stamp  their  character 
upon  our  civilization.  It  seems  fitting,  therefore,  that  some 
public  record  should  be  made  of  what  he  was  and  did. 


CHAPTER  II 

ANCESTRY  AND  BIRTH 

lyrORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP  was  born  at  Westport, 
■*■'*-  Connecticut,  on  June  21,  1830.  He  was  the  son  of 
Charles  Jesup  and  Abigail  Sherwood,  the  latter  being  the 
daughter  of  the  Honorable  Samuel  Burr  Sherwood,  of 
Saugatuck,  Connecticut.  On  both  sides  he  was  descended 
from  old  New  England  stock,  both  his  father's  and  his 
mother's  families  having  been  identified  with  Connecticut 
for  nearly  two  hundred  years  before  his  birth. 

On  his  father's  side  the  connection  goes  back  at  least 
as  far  as  1649,  ^^  which  date  his  earhest  American  an- 
cestor, Edward  Jessup,*  was  a  citizen  and  land-owner  in 
Stamford,  Connecticut  (then  under  the  New  Haven 
Colony). 

Among  Mr.  Jesup's  ancestors  on  his  father's  side  two 
figures  stand  out  with  special  distinctness.  The  first  is 
Edward,  the  founder  of  the  line,  a  man  of  forceful  char- 
acter and  restless  activity,  meeting  us  first  in  Stamford 
under  the  New  Haven  colony,  appearing  later  as  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Long  Island  under  the  Dutch, 
and  ending  his  life  as  proprietor  of  a  large  estate  in  West- 

*  The  first  two  American  Jesups  spelt  their  name  with  two  s's,  but  with 
Edward,  the  third  of  the  line,  who  died  in  1750,  the  second  s  drops  out. 

8 


ANCESTRY  AND  BIRTH  9 

Chester  County,  New  York,  which  he  had  purchased  from 
the  Indians,  and  which  is  now  known  as  Hunt's  Point. 
The  other  is  Ebenezer,  the  fourth  in  the  Hne  of  descent, 
Mr.  Jesup's  great-grandfather,  a  distinguished  surgeon 
who  did  yeoman  service  both  in  church  and  state,  had  his 
house  burned  over  him  by  the  British  troops  under  Gen- 
eral Tryon,  and  ended  his  days  as  a  deacon  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  and  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  esteemed  and 
trusted  by  all  who  knew  him.  But,  indeed,  all  the  Jesups 
were  men  of  character  and  substance,  and  each  illus- 
trates in  some  degree  the  qualities  which  reappear  in  their 
distinguished  descendant.  They  were  thrifty,  knowing 
how  to  make  one  dollar  yield  another,  independent,  an- 
ticipating the  lines  of  future  development,  and  quick  to 
take,  advantage  of  each  new  opportunity  as  it  came,  con- 
scientious, doing  thoroughly  whatever  they  undertook. 
Above  all,  they  were  men  of  public  spirit,  recognizing  their 
obligations  to  the  community  in  which  they  lived,  and 
interesting  themselves  actively  in  the  work  of  school,  state, 
and  church. 

When  we  first  hear  of  Edward,  the  first  of  the  name, 
he  was,  as  already  mentioned,  a  citizen  and  land-owner 
in  Stamford,  then  (1649)  in  the  eighth  year  of  its  existence 
as  an  independent  community.  Three  years  later  he  re- 
moved to  Middleborough,  Long  Island  (afterward  New- 
town), as  one  of  a  party  of  pioneers  who  had  received 
permission  from  Peter  Stuyvesant  to  establish  an  English 
settlement  there.  The  price  which  he  paid  for  his  land, 
four  pounds,  the  equivalent  at  the  then  market  rate  of 
eighty  acres,  shows  that  he  must  have  been  a  man  of 
substance,  only  one  other  settler  paying  as  much.  We 
hear  of  him  also  as  owning  land  at  other  places,  as  at  Fair- 


lo  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

field,  Connecticut,  and  Jamaica,  Long  Island.  He  quickly 
assumed  a  prominent  place  in  the  community,  being  nomi- 
nated as  Magistrate  in  1652  and  serving  in  that  capacity 
from  1659  to  1662.  When,  in  1653,  the  threatened  out- 
break of  hostilities  between  the  Dutch  and  English  alarmed 
the  inhabitants  of  the  new  settlement,  Edward  Jessup  was 
one  of  the  delegation  which  was  sent  to  Boston  to  present 
the  cause  of  the  settlers  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  New 
England  Colonies.  Two  years  later,  when  Stuyvesant, 
with  six  vessels  and  some  six  or  seven  hundred  men,  left 
home  on  an  expedition  against  the  Swedish  settlements 
in  Jersey,  the  savages,  taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of 
the  garrison,  landed  at  Manhattan  Island  on  the  15th  of 
September  and  began  to  plunder  and  threaten  the  town. 
Among  those  who  were  present  on  the  night  of  this  at- 
tack and  who  aided  in  the  defence  was  Edward  Jessup, 
and  for  his  activity  in  this  connection  he  incurred  the 
enmity  of  the  invaders,  who  threatened  to  put  him  to 
death  and  to  take  his  scalp. 

Fortunately,  the  threat  was  never  executed,  for  seven 
years  later  we  find  Edward  Jessup  active  in  the  move- 
ment of  the  members  of  Middleborough  to  withdraw 
from  the  Dutch  jurisdiction  and  to  cast  in  their  lot  with 
Connecticut,  which  claimed  authority  over  Long  Island 
under  a  new  charter  obtained  from  the  newly  restored 
king,  Charles  the  Second.  We  hear  of  him  as  leading  an 
expedition  to  rescue  John  Christie,  a  commissioner  whom 
the  Dutch  had  arrested  while  trying  to  ascertain  the  sen- 
timents of  the  neighboring  towns.  In  the  following  year 
he  removed  across  the  Sound  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Westchester  County  at  what  is  now  known  as  West 
Farms,  then  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Connecticut.    Here 


ANCESTRY  AND  BIRTH  ii 

he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  serving  as  Magistrate 
in  1663  and  1664,  and  transmitting  to  his  descendants 
at  his  death,  in  1666,  a  large  tract  of  land  which,  together 
with  one  John  Richardson,  he  had  purchased  from  the 
Indians,  and  which  received  from  his  son-in-law,  John 
Hunt,  who  afterward  inherited  it,  its  present  name  of 
Hunt's  Point. 

The  story  of  Ebenezer  Jesup,  the  fourth  of  the  line, 
and  the  first  of  the  name,  carries  us  into  the  storm  and 
stress  of  Revolutionary  times.  Unlike  his  cousins,  the 
descendants  of  James  Jesup,  who  were  loyalists,  and  two 
of  whom  served  as  officers  in  the  British  army,  Ebenezer 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Continental  cause.  He  received 
his  education  at  Yale  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1760.  He  afterward  began  the  study  of  law,  the  first 
of  this  branch  of  Jesups  to  take  up  a  profession,  but, 
on  account  of  failing  health,  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  medicine  and  achieved  distinguished  success  as 
a  surgeon.  In  this  capacity  he  served  in  the  Continental 
army  at  Cherry  Valley,  New  York.  His  home,  like  that 
of  his  father,  was  at  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  and,  in 
common  with  his  neighbors  of  that  locality,  he  suffered 
from  the  raids  of  the  British  troops,  his  house  having 
been  destroyed  at  the  time  when  General  Tryon  burned 
Fairfield.  He  was  no  less  active  in  religious  matters, 
serving  for  twenty-four  years  as  deacon  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Green's  Farms.  He  was  a  man  of 
liberal  spirit,  influential  in  the  community  and  highly 
respected,  and  for  many  years  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

With  the  second  Ebenezer,  Mr.  Jesup's  grandfather, 
the  connection  of  the  Jesups  with  business  began.     At 


12  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

twenty-two  we  find  him  established  for  himself  at  Sauga- 
tuck,  on  the  Connecticut  side  of  the  river,  within  three 
miles  of  his  father's  home.  He  was,  no  doubt,  influenced 
in  his  choice  of  location  by  his  marriage,  for  his  wife's 
family,  the  Wrights,  had  interests  there.  He  bought  the 
grain  which  the  farmers  raised  on  the  neighboring  farms, 
and  exported  it  to  the  ports  of  Boston  and,  later,  of  New 
York.  His  store  soon  became  the  principal  one  in  Fair- 
field. With  the  growth  of  his  business  his  interests  ex- 
tended beyond  his  native  town.  He  became  a  director 
and,  later,  the  President  of  the  Bridgeport  National  Bank. 
He  was  also  interested  in  the  Fairfield  County  Bank 
of  Norwalk,  and  served  on  its  Board  of  Directors  for 
many  years.  Like  most  of  his  friends  and  neighbors 
he  lost  heavily  in  the  panic  of  1837,  but  his  credit  was  so 
strong  that  he  weathered  it  successfully  and  was  able  to 
lend  assistance  to  other  members  of  his  family  who  had 
been  less  fortunate. 

Those  who  knew  Mr.  Jesup  well  spoke  of  him  with 
great  respect  as  a  man  of  unusual  ability,  enterprise,  and 
public  spirit.  He  was  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Congre- 
gational church,  attending  first  the  old  church  near  his 
home  at  Green's  Farms,  and  later,  when  a  new  building 
was  erected  in  Fairfield  in  1832,  contributing  generously 
to  its  support.  He  was  actively  interested  in  the  militia, 
bearing  the  commission  of  Major,  and  was  known  by  this 
title  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Still  more  significant  for  our 
present  purpose  was  his  interest  in  education.  He  was  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  local  schools  and  actively  inter- 
ested himself  in  their  improvement. 

The  large  storehouse,  with  its  immense  timbers  and 
numerous  stories,  in  which  Major  Jesup  used  to  keep  the 


ANCESTRY  AND  BIRTH  13 

grain  which  he  had  purchased,  pending  the  arrangements 
for  its  transshipment,  was  long  one  of  the  landmarks  of 
Saugatuck.  With  the  one-storied  house,  in  which  its 
owner  lived,  it  stood  upon  the  ground  now  owned  by  his 
eldest  living  grandson  James  R.  Jesup,  but  both  have 
long  been  torn  down  and  nothing  but  the  old  wharf 
remains  to  suggest  the  business  which  was  done  there  less 
than  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago.  The  more  modern 
house,  which  was  his  home  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
descended  to  his  son  Francis,  who  occupied  it  for  some 
twenty  years.  In  1885,  however,  it  was  purchased  by 
his  grandson,  Morris  K.  Jesup,  the  subject  of  the  present 
sketch,  and  presented  to  the  Congregational  church  of 
the  place  for  use  as  a  parsonage,  a  function  which  it 
fulfils  to-day.^ 

In  1790  Mr.  Jesup  married  Sarah  Wright,  daughter 
of  Obadiah  Wright,  of  Saugatuck.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  the  third, 
Charles,  born  on  March  loth,  1796,  was  the  father  of 
Morris  K.  Jesup. 

As  might  have  been  expected  from  his  father's  keen  in- 
terest in  education,  Charles  Jesup  received  the  best  of 
schooling  and  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1 8 14,  being 
then  only  eighteen  years  of  age. 

It  was  his  original  intention,  like  his  grandfather,  to 
study  law,  but  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  this  on 
account  of  ill  health.     Re-established  in  health  by  ex- 

^  It  is  said  that  Major  Jesup  was  the  first  person  to  introduce  a  wheeled 
pleasure  vehicle  into  Saugatuck.  This  was  a  square-top  chaise,  purchased  for 
him  in  Boston  for  three  hundred  dollars  by  Captain  Hezekiah  Allen,  who 
commanded  one  of  his  vessels,  and  who  brought  it  home  with  him  on  one  of  his 
return  voyages.  So  startling  an  innovation  was  this  in  the  quiet  life  of  Sauga- 
tuck that  we  ar§  told  that  Major  Jesup  kept  it  in  his  carriage-house  for  six 
months  before  he  ventured  to  use  it. 


14  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

tended  travel,  first  in  the  South  and  later  in  Europe,  he 
took  up  business  both  in  New  York  and  in  Westport,  in 
the  latter  of  which  he  resided  till  his  premature  death 
in  1837.  In  September,  1821,  he  married  Abigail  Sher- 
wood, daughter  of  the  Honorable  Samuel  Burr  Sherwood, 
of  Saugatuck.  They  had  nine  children,  seven  sons  and 
two  daughters,  of  whom  Morris  Ketchum  Jesup  was  the 
fifth. 

The  influence  of  Mr.  Jesup's  mother  upon  his  charac- 
ter was  so  marked,  and  her  own  personality  so  remark- 
able, that  it  is  proper  to  give  some  account  of  the  stock 
from  which  she  sprang  and  of  the  influences  which 
moulded  her  development. 

Like  her  husband  she  was  a  member  of  an  old  Con- 
necticut family,  the  connection  of  the  Sherwoods  with  the 
State  antedating  even  that  of  the  Jesups.  Thomas  Sher- 
wood, the  founder  of  the  American  line,  sailed  from 
Ipswich,  Suff^olk  County,  England,  in  the  ship  Francis 
in  1632,  with  Alice,  his  wife,  and  four  children.  He  came 
to  Fairfield  as  early  as  1648,  the  year  before  we  first  hear 
of  Edward  Jessup  at  Stamford. 

Mrs.  Jesup's  father,  Samuel  Burr  Sherwood,  was  the 
fifth  in  the  line  of  descent.  The  son  of  a  Congregational 
clergyman,  he  was  born  at  Weston,  November  26,  1767. 
Like  his  father,  he  went  to  Yale  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1786.  Four  years  later  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  West- 
port,  which  he  continued  until  1831.  He  became  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  the  Fairfield  County  bar  and 
had  a  large  practice.  He  frequently  represented  the  town 
in  the  Legislature,  and  for  several  years  was  one  of  the 
twelve  councillors  or  upper  house  of  the  Legislature,  which, 


ANCESTRY  AND  BIRTH  15 

before  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  18 18,  took  the 
place  of  the  Senate.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Fifteenth 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  during  the  years  from 
1 8 10  to  1815  it  is  probable  that  no  one  in  Connecticut 
exercised  greater  political  influence.  He  was  a  man  of 
public  spirit,  interested  and  active  in  all  that  concerned 
the  welfare  of  the  community,  whether  town,  county, 
or  State.  His  neighbors  remember  him  as  a  man  of  re- 
markable activity,  always  cheerful  and  full  of  good-humor, 
with  a  hearty  greeting  for  his  friends.  The  Reverend 
Mr.  Jesup  relates  that  he  can  still  recall  the  dignified 
form  of  Mr.  Sherwood,  dressed  in  smallclothes,  a  fashion 
then  nearly  obsolete,  as  he  sat  in  his  pew  in  the  new 
Saugatuck  Congregational  church  not  long  before  his  death. 

Mr.  Sherwood  married  Charity  Hull,  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  Eliphalet  Hull,  of  Fairfield,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children,  all  girls,  of  whom  the  third,  Abigail,  married 
Mr.  Charles  Jesup,  and  became  the  mother  of  Morris  K. 
Jesup,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Thus,  both  on  his  father's  and  on  his  mother's  side, 
Mr.  Jesup  came  of  stock  illustrating  the  best  traditions 
of  New  England.  Thrifty,  God-fearing  people,  they 
did  their  part  in  the  work  of  church  and  state.  Ardent 
patriots,  they  were  not  afraid  to  make  sacrifices  for  the 
cause  of  liberty.  Lovers  of  education,  they  gave  their 
children  the  best  training  that  the  opportunities  of  the 
time  afforded.  Sincere  Christians,  they  practised  what 
they  preached.  If  there  be  such  a  thing  as  a  natural 
aristocracy  in  a  country  where  distinctions  of  birth  are 
unknown,  Mr.  Jesup  certainly  could  claim  such  descent. 

He  was  not  unmindful  of  his  inheritance.  In  his  later 
life  he  became  a  member  of  the  patriotic  societies,  such  as 


i6  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

the  Pilgrims  and  the  New  England  Society,  which  bring 
together  for  friendly  intercourse  the  descendants  of  the 
early  New  England  settlers,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
he  was  Vice-President  of  the  former  and  President  of 
the  latter. 

Nor  was  Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  his  ancestry  only  one 
of  sentiment.  Though  he  left  his  native  town  as  a  boy, 
he  never  lost  touch  with  its  affairs.  His  gift  of  his  grand- 
father's house  to  the  Congregational  church  for  a  par- 
sonage testifies  to  his  interest  in  the  religious  life  of 
Westport.  And  one  of  the  last  things  which  he  did  before 
his  death  was  to  present  to  the  town  a  large  and  well- 
appointed  library  building  as  a  memorial  of  his  paternal 
and  maternal  ancestors,  who  for  so  many  generations 
had  been  identified  with  the  fortunes  of  the  place. 

He  never  lived  to  see  it  himself.  Delayed  in  its  erec- 
tion by  unforeseen  contingencies,  it  was  not  ready  for 
occupancy  until  October,  1907,  at  which  time  Mr.  Jesup 
was  too  ill  to  attend  the  dedication.  Before  it  was  finally 
opened  to  the  people  of  Westport  the  generous  donor 
had  himself  joined  the  company  of  those  honorable  citi- 
zens whose  virtues  it  had  been  his  desire  to  perpetuate 
for  all  time  in  the  tablets  which  adorned  the  library  walls.* 

*  The  building  was  finally  dedicated  on  April  8,  1908,  in  the  presence  of  Mrs. 
Jesup,  Mr.  John  E.  Parsons,  Mr.  Jesup's  boyhood  companion  and  life-long 
friend,  delivering  the  principal  address. 


CHAPTER  III 

BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION 

^T^HE  home  into  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  born  was  a 
typical  New  England  home,  with  its  characteris- 
tic limitations  and  excellences.  Judged  by  our  present 
standards,  its  outlook  was  narrow.  Many  of  the  interests 
which  we  count  important  received  scant  recognition. 
There  was  little  or  no  attempt  to  train  the  sense  of 
beauty,  either  through  appeal  to  eye  or  to  ear.  Educa- 
tion was  thought  of  as  discipline  rather  than  as  culture, 
and  thoroughness  was  sought  rather  than  breadth.  Re- 
ligion was  given  the  central  place  both  in  thought  and 
practice,  and  this  was  conceived  after  the  somewhat  rigid 
fashion  prevalent  among  Congregationalists  of  the  stricter 
sort  during  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 

There  is  a  tradition  in  the  Jesup  family  that  when 
Grandfather  Sherwood  (Mrs.  Charles  Jesup's  father) 
heard  the  children  repeat  the  catechism  on  Sunday  after- 
noons he  placed  them  one  after  another  upon  the  man- 
tel-piece with  their  backs  against  the  wall,  in  order  that 
their  thoughts  might  not  be  tempted  to  wander.  Some- 
thing of  this  spirit  of  rigidity  lived  on  in  the  Jesup  home. 
Sunday,  or  the  Sabbath,  as  it  was  then  universally  called, 

17 


i8  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

was  strictly  observed.  Saturday  afternoon  ended  at  six 
o'clock,  when  the  children  were  brought  in,  bathed, 
and  put  to  bed.  Sunday  morning  and  afternoon  found 
them  in  their  places  in  church,  a  practice  which  in  Mr. 
Jesup's  own  case  began  early,  as  certain  marks  in  the 
family  pew  attest.  It  is  on  record  that  the  Jesup  children 
made  the  observation  familiar  to  so  many  other  New 
England  boys  and  girls,  that  an  unusual  proportion  of 
Sunday  afternoons  were  fair. 

In  later  years  Mr.  Jesup  often  commented  on  the 
strictness  of  his  upbringing.  **My  parents,''  he  said, 
"were  strictly  orthodox,  and,  like  other  good  people  of 
their  communion,  believed  in  severe  restrictions  in  regard 
to  amusements,  especially  on  the  score  of  their  danger  to 
the  young.  I  grew  up  believing  that  the  rigid  Sunday 
laws  which  I  had  seen  enforced  at  home  ought  to  be 
binding  on  all,  and  that  such  amusements  as  theatre- 
going,  card-playing,  and  dancing  were  wicked.  On  these 
points  my  views  have  been  slowly  and  somewhat  reluc- 
tantly modified  by  later  experience." 

But  there  was  something  in  this  particular  New  Eng- 
land boy  which  could  not  be  satisfied  in  a  narrow  at- 
mosphere. Like  all  "young  people,"  he  had  a  thirst  for 
"something  bright,  gay,  and  limitless,"  and  when  "the 
fairy-land  of  art  and  natural  history  and  later  that  of 
science  and  exploration "  gradually  opened  itself  to  him, 
he  took  up  their  enjoyment  with  all  the  more  zest  because 
of  his  previous  deprivation.  "Every  normal  human 
being,"  he  used  to  say,  especially  if  he  be  a  bread-winner, 
craves  something  that  will  take  him  out  of  the  tedious 
grind  of  daily  business  routine.  Kindergarten  instructors 
tell  us  that  for  the  proper  development  of  a  child's  taste 


BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  19 

his  knowledge  of  music  and  of  art  must  begin  with  baby- 
hood. My  own  case,  however,  is  the  exception  which 
proves  the  rule.  As  a  boy,  the  opera,  the  theatre,  and 
card-playing  were  forbidden  me,  but  as  I  grew  older  I 
learned  to  enjoy  them  and  they  have  been  a  distinct  help 
to  me  in  later  years." 

But  Mr.  Jesup  would  have  been  the  first  to  recognize 
the  positive  benefits  which  he  received  from  his  early 
training.  His  parents  taught  him  habits  of  conscientious- 
ness and  of  obedience.  He  learned  to  put  duty  before 
pleasure.  He  learned,  not  by  precept  only  but  through 
example,  that  obligation  is  not  limited  to  family  or 
neighborhood.  The  missionary  idea  of  Christianity  was 
familiar  to  the  boy  from  his  earliest  youth,  and,  while  he 
came  later  to  interpret  this  ideal  more  broadly,  he  never 
lost  the  sense  of  its  authority.  A  certain  innate  purity  of 
thought  and  feeling  too  may  be  traced  to  these  early  days. 
Tolerant  as  he  became  in  his  estimate  of  others'  liberty, 
there  was  something  of  the  Puritan  still  in  his  later  judg- 
ments. Commenting  on  the  modern  theatre,  he  said 
once  to  a  friend:  "I  am  constantly  shocked  by  the  plots, 
incidents,  and  dialogue  of  the  stage,  and  I  think  that  it 
exercises  to-day  in  a  large  number  of  its  performances  a 
most  dulling  and  vicious  influence  upon  the  public.  What 
I  see  often  tempts  me  to  revert  to  my  early  views.  Com- 
pared with  the  license  of  to-day,  the  stage  at  the  time  of 
my  youth  was  so  comparatively  clean  that  the  bitter  at- 
tack directed  against  it  by  Christian  people  would  make 
laymen  smile." 

The  church  to  which  the  young  Jesups  were  taken  was 
organized  in  1832  as  an  offshoot  from  the  Congregational 
church  at  Green's  Farms,  which  their  parents  had  pre- 


20  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

viously  attended.  Mr.  Charles  Jesup,  who  had  been  one 
of  the  active  workers  in  the  old  church,  was  prominent 
in  the  new  organization,  with  which  he  identified  him- 
self from  the  start.  He  was  especially  interested  in  the 
Sunday-school,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
in  which  he  was  an  active  worker.*  He  was  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  cause  of  Home  Missions,  and  especially 
interested  in  the  work  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  to 
which  he  not  only  contributed  generously  himself,  but 
for  which  he  was  planning  further  benefactions  when  his 
plans  were  interrupted  by  the  financial  crisis  of  1837. 

But  it  was  the  boy's  mother  that  contributed  most  to 
the  formation  of  his  character.  A  figure  of  rare  dignity 
and  poise,  she  impressed  those  who  met  her  with  the 
force  of  her  personality  and  the  serenity  of  her  faith.  "  She 
was  one  of  the  most  charming  women  whom  it  has  ever 
been  my  good  fortune  to  meet,"  said  one  who  in  the  course 
of  a  long  life  had  come  to  know  intimately  many  charm- 
ing women.  *'I  think  that  I  never  met  any  one  who 
had  so  saintly  an  appearance."  ^  Forceful  and  indepen- 
dent as  she  was  womanly,  she  impressed  her  character 
upon  her  children,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death,  Mr.  Jesup 
cherished  her  memory  with  a  passionate  devotion. 

Morris  was  the  fifth  of  eight  brothers  and  sisters,  of 
whom  only  one  besides  himself,  his  brother  Richard,  lived 
to  be  more  than  thirty  years  old.    Most  of  the  others  died 

^  Mr.  Charles  Jesup's  devotion  to  the  Sunday-school  was  shown  in  a  very- 
practical  way.  During  the  week  he  devoted  his  leisure  to  procuring  scholars, 
and,  while  still  an  attendant  upon  the  church  at  Green's  Farms,  used  to  walk 
more  than  two  miles  every  Sunday  morning  even  in  the  coldest  weather  in  order 
to  build  the  fire  and  prepare  for  the  instruction  of  the  various  classes.  When 
later  business  called  him  to  New  York,  as  it  often  did,  he  never  forgot  to  bring 
something  home  with  him  for  the  benefit  of  the  school. 

2  Mr.  John  E.  Parsons,  in  his  address  at  the  dedication  of  the  Jesup 
Memorial  Library  at  Westport. 


BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  21 

of  consumption  when  they  were  twenty  one  or  two.  The 
shadow  of  these  early  deaths,  four  of  them  occurring 
within  a  period  of  two  years,  cast  a  gloom  over  Mr. 
Jesup's  early  manhood  and  made  him  ever  afterward 
more  than  usually  careful  of  his  own  health  and  of  the 
health  of  others.  But,  at  the  period  with  which  we 
are  now  concerned,  all  this  lay  in  the  future.  The  chil- 
dren grew  up  side  by  side,  educating  each  other  as  chil- 
dren do.  The  hours  when  they  were  not  at  school  were 
spent  out-of-doors  in  the  games  that  children  love,  and 
Mr.  Jesup  when  over  seventy  could  still  point  out  with 
interest  the  old  bridge  on  which  when  a  boy  of  seven  he 
used  to  lie  and  fish  for  frost-fish.^  When  Christmas  came, 
Grandfather  Jesup's  hospitable  home  expanded  to  its 
amplest  dimensions  to  take  in  the  company  of  children 
and  grandchildren  for  whom  it  was  the  common  meet- 
ing-place. Amid  such  simple,  healthful  surroundings,  the 
boy's  first  years  were  spent.  A  singularly  handsome  child, 
he  had  every  promise  of  receiving  the  best  education  and 
training  which  the  time  could  afford. 

Unfortunately,  this  early  promise  was  not  destined  to 
be  fulfilled.  When  Morris  was  seven  years  old  the  panic 
of  1837  swept  over  the  country,  and  in  the  general  finan- 
cial ruin  not  only  was  his  father's  fortune  lost,  but  also 
the  comfortable  portion  which  his  mother  had  inherited 
from  her  father.  Judge  Sherwood.  In  the  same  year 
Mr.  Charles  Jesup,  then  only  forty-two  years  old,  died 
suddenly,  leaving  his  wife  with  a  family  of  eight  children, 
six  boys  and  two  girls,  to  support  as  best  she  could. 

Mrs.  Jesup  met  this  crushing  misfortune  with  high 
spirit.     For  a  time  she  was  willing  to  receive  assistance 

*  Cf.  "Genealogy,"  p.  129. 


22  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

from  her  husband's  father,  but  the  sense  of  dependence 
was  irksome  to  her,  and  she  therefore  made  up  her 
mind  to  move  to  New  York  and  estabHsh  an  indepen- 
dent home  for  herself  and  for  her  children.  When  this 
removal  took  place  Morris  was  eight  years  old.  Judged 
by  modern  standards,  New  York  was  a  comparatively 
small  place.  Instead  of  its  present  four  million  and  a  half 
people,  it  had  then  less  than  four  hundred  thousand. 
The  railroad  from  Saugatuck  had  not  yet  been  built, 
so  Mrs.  Jesup  and  her  children  made  the  journey  by 
steamboat.  They  landed  at  the  foot  of  Catharine  Street, 
whence  they  went  to  the  new  home  which  had  been 
secured  for  them  at  No.  39  Bond  Street.  Here  they  lived 
for  ten  or  twelve  years  until  the  change  in  the  neighbor- 
hood made  necessary  their  removal  to  Eighth  Street. 
Some  years  later  Mr.  Jesup,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had 
prospered  in  business,  was  able  to  present  his  mother 
with  a  house  of  her  own,  a  date  to  which  he  always 
looked  back  as  a  red-letter  day. 

For  the  present,  however,  things  looked  dark  enough. 
Morris,  like  his  father  and  grandfather,  had  always 
looked  forward  to  going  to  college,  but  under  the  cir- 
cumstances this  seemed  out  of  the  question.  His  first 
duty  was  to  his  mother,  and  this  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  secure  remunerative  work  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  period  of  his  schooling  was  therefore  cut  down  to 
the  lowest  possible  limit,  and  the  record  of  the  four  years 
which  could  alone  be  spared  is  a  broken  one. 

In  his  autobiographical  fragment,  Mr.  Jesup  has  this 
to  say  of  his  school  life  in  New  York.  "  I  first  attended 
school  on  the  east  side  in  Second  Avenue,  where  I  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  William  E.  Dodge,  for  over  fifty 


BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  23 

years  my  warm  and  steadfast  friend.  After  this  I  went 
to  the  West  Side  Collegiate  School,  conducted  by  Dr. 
Clark,  where  I  remained  a  year  or  two,  after  which  I  at- 
tended the  grammar  school  of  New  York  University. 
Still  later  I  went  to  Dr.  Hubbard's  School  for  Boys,  then 
in  Fourteenth  Street,  intending  to  prepare  for  college,  but 
the  condition  of  my  family  was  such  that  the  means  were 
not  forthcoming,  and,  after  studying  there  for  two  years,  I 
decided  to  relinquish  my  intention  and  go  into  business." 
This  early  disappointment  had  a  far-reaching  effect 
upon  Mr.  Jesup's  later  Hfe.  What  he  could  not  enjoy 
himself  he  was  the  more  anxious  to  make  possible  for 
others.  Among  his  various  philanthropic  interests  edu- 
cation held  a  central  place,  and  the  leading  colleges  of  the 
country  were  repeatedly  the  recipients  of  his  benefactions. 
To  Yale  he  presented  the  Landberg  collection  of  Arabic 
manuscripts.  He  was  a  contributor  to  the  Teachers' 
Endowment  Fund  at  Harvard;  at  Williams  he  erected 
Jesup  Hall;  to  Princeton  he  was  a  repeated  and  gener- 
ous giver;  to  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  he  pre- 
sented the  recitation  hall  which  bears  his  name.  He 
was  a  frequent  contributor  to  Hampton  and  Tuskegee, 
and  a  generous  supporter  of  the  policy  of  industrial  educa- 
tion with  which  these  two  institutions  are  so  closely  iden- 
tified. He  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  educational  work 
of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  both  on  its 
popular  and  on  its  scientific  side;  and  as  President  of 
the  Syrian  Protestant  College  in  Beirut  he  was  the  means 
of  planting  and  maintaining  in  this  centre  of  Eastern  civ- 
ilization an  institution  fashioned  after  the  best  models  of 
the  West  and  second  to  none  of  our  American  colleges 
in  appointments  and  efficiency. 


24  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

The  recognition  of  these  services  to  education  on  the 
part  of  the  colleges  was  generous.  The  academic  standing 
which  Mr.  Jesup  had  been  unable  to  acquire  in  the  ordi- 
nary way  was  accorded  to  him  causa  honorts  in  his  later 
years.  Before  his  death  he  had  received  the  master's 
degree  from  Yale,  Columbia,  and  Williams,  and  Prince- 
ton had  made  him  a  Doctor  of  Laws.  Thus,  instead  of 
being  the  graduate  of  a  single  college,  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  membership  in  at  least  four  of  the  leading  uni- 
versities of  the  country,  and  his  services  to  the  cause  of 
education  are  recognized  wherever  scholars  meet  and 
scholarship  is  honored. 

One  other  effect  of  this  early  disappointment  is  worthy 
of  more  extended  notice,  and  that  is  the  interest  which  it 
led  him  to  take  in  those  boys  and  girls  whom  the  mis- 
fortune of  birth  and  early  childhood  had  deprived  of  their 
chance  of  a  fair  start  in  life.  The  most  striking  instance  of 
this  interest  is  his  connection  with  the  Five  Points  House 
of  Industry,  of  which  he  was  a  trustee  for  forty-one  years, 
and  for  thirty-seven  years  the  President. 

The  history  of  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry  goes 
back  nearly  sixty  years.  Those  whose  only  acquaintance 
with  it  is  in  its  present  building  would  find  it  difficult  to 
reconstruct  in  imagination  the  conditions  under  which  its 
life  began  and  which  it  has  so  largely  contributed  to 
abolish.  At  that  time  the  Five  Points  was  shunned  by 
all  decent  people  as  the  most  dangerous  place  in  New 
York  City.  Dives  and  low  resorts  abounded,  and  it  was 
literally  true  that  the  visitor  who  entered  its  precincts 
after  dark  took  his  life  in  his  hand.  In  this  abandoned 
spot,  the  resort  of  thieves,  gamblers,  and  dissolute  men 
and  women,  a  group  of  Christian  people  opened  in  a 


BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  25 

modest  way  a  home  for  the  destitute  children  who  were 
drifting  in  large  numbers  in  these  troubled  waters.  The 
work  of  the  institution  was  not  essentially  different  from 
that  carried  on  by  many  others  whose  object  it  is  to  save 
children  from  a  life  of  vice  and  crime.  Taking  the  boys 
and  girls  who  were  committed  to  it  at  an  early  age,  it 
housed,  fed,  and  clothed  them,  subjected  them  to  a  rigor- 
ous discipline  in  manners  and  morals,  and  ended  by  pro- 
viding them  with  good  homes  in  the  West.^ 

Mr.  Jesup's  own  connection  with  the  Five  Points  House 
of  Industry  dates  from  1867.  In  1871  he  became  its 
President,  an  office  which  he  continued  to  hold  until  his 
death.  From  the  first  his  interest  in  the  work  was  active. 
He  followed  the  details  of  its  management  with  unre- 
mitting attention.  Between  him  and  the  superintendent, 
Mr.  William  F.  Barnard,  a  warm  friendship  grew  up,  and 
numerous  letters  written  in  Mr.  Jesup's  own  hand  show 
how  constantly  even  during  his  absence  he  followed  the 
welfare  of  the  institution.     As  his  interests  multiplied  and 

*  The  story  of  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry  reads  like  a  romance.  It 
owes  its  origin  to  the  Reverend  L.  M.  Pease,  a  Methodist  missionary  who,  in  the 
year  1850,  gave  up  his  home  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  in  order  to  devote  himself 
to  missionary  labor.  Learning  of  the  conditions  at  the  Five  Points,  he  and  his 
wife  established  their  home  in  the  region,  in  order  to  do  what  they  could  to 
better  its  conditions.  They  soon  found  that  the  conventional  methods  of  preach- 
ing and  tract -giving  were  not  adequate  to  meet  the  need.  If  permanent  help  was 
to  be  given,  economic  conditions  must  be  changed.  Mr.  Pease  therefore  started 
an  industrial  work,  taking  the  women  and  girls  whom  he  could  reach  into  his 
own  home  and  supplying  them  with  sewing  and  other  useful  occupations. 
Finding  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  denomination  under  which  he  was  working 
this  expansion  of  his  labors  beyond  the  field  of  religion  in  the  conventional 
sense  was  looked  upon  askance,  he  severed  his  connection  with  the  society  and, 
in  1854,  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry  was  incorporated  under  an  inde- 
pendent Board  of  Trustees,  the  President  of  which  was  Mr.  Archibald  Russell. 
The  plan  at  first  contemplated  work  among  adults  as  well  as  children,  but  it 
was  soon  discovered  that  the  latter  were  so  much  more  hopeful  a  field  that  it 
was  decided  to  concentrate  attention  upon  this  branch  of  the  work,  and  the 
present  House  of  Industry  is  the  outcome  of  this  policy. 


26  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

his  cares  increased,  he  never  allowed  them  to  crowd  out 
the  House  of  Industry.  When  the  summer  heat  was  par- 
ticularly oppressive  Mr.  Barnard  would  find  a  check  in  his 
mail  with  such  a  line  as  this:  "If  there  is  anything  you 
can  do  for  the  children  in  these  hot  days  to  give  them 
an  outing  or  fresh  air  where  the  means  are  not  provided, 
consider  this  at  your  disposal."  Or  again,  "I  am  glad  the 
children  had  a  good  time  and  found  so  much  to  interest 
them.  I  enclose  a  check  to  cover  the  cost  and  am  obliged 
to  you  for  taking  such  an  interest."  Or,  still  again, 
when  expressing  his  regret  at  his  inability  to  keep  a 
promise  which  he  had  made  to  speak  to  the  children,  he 
would  enclose  a  verse  of  Scripture  as  a  motto  from  which 
he  hoped  to  talk  to  them  some  other  time. 

One  feature  of  the  work  of  the  Five  Points  which  has 
grown  familiar  to  many  visitors  is  the  Sunday  afternoon 
service  of  song.  At  four  o'clock  the  children  gathered 
in  their  Sunday  clothes,  marched  to  the  large  audience 
hall,  and  spent  an  hour  in  singing  songs  and  listening 
to  a  brief  address,  either  from  the  superintendent  or  from 
some  visitor.  Mr.  Jesup  dearly  loved  this  service.  He 
often  attended  it.  Not  infrequently  he  addressed  the 
children,  but  best  of  all  he  loved  to  sit  alone  or  with  some 
congenial  friend  whom  he  had  persuaded  to  accompany 
him,  in  the  upper  gallery  reserved  for  visitors,  where  he 
could  look  down  upon  the  group  of  children  gathered 
below  and  give  himself  up  to  the  emotion  which  the  sight 
never  failed  to  awaken  within  him.  Whether  it  was  simply 
the  sympathy  which  every  one  of  advancing  years  must 
feel  at  the  sight  of  the  young  who  have  all  their  possibili- 
ties and  experiences  before  them,  or  whether  the  sight  of 
these  boys  and  girls  who  had  their  own  way  to  make 


BOYHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  27 

recalled  the  struggles  of  his  own  youth,  it  is  certain  that 
no  work  was  dearer  to  Mr.  Jesup  than  this  and  from 
none  did  he  derive  greater  satisfaction/ 

But  this  digression  has  carried  us  far  into  the  future. 
Between  the  President  of  the  Five  Points  House  of  Indus- 
try and  the  boy  who  with  heavy  heart  gave  up  the  edu- 
cation he  coveted  in  order  to  help  his  mother,  many  years 
of  discipline  intervened,  and  it  is  to  these  that  we  must 
now  turn. 

*  Mr.  Jesup  further  showed  his  interest  in  the  children  of  the  poor  by  pre- 
senting to  the  Children's  Aid  Society  the  Forty-fourth  Street  Lodging  House 
for  Homeless  Boys. 


-      ,  CHAPTER  IV 

THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION 

TV  yT ORRIS,  as  we  have  seen,  was  twelve  years  old 
'^  when  he  left  school  and  began  to  work  for  his  own 
living.  The  office  which  he  entered  was  that  of  Rogers, 
Ketchum  &  Grosvenor,  at  No.  71  Wall  Street.  The  firm 
v/ere  manufacturers  of  locomotives  and  cotton-mill  ma- 
chinery, and  their  factory  was  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey. 
The  boy  owed  his  position  to  Mr.  Morris  Ketchum,  his 
father's  old  friend,  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken,  who 
was  one  of  the  partners,  but  his  chief  dealings  were  with 
Mr.  Jasper  Grosvenor,  who  was  the  active  manager  of 
the  business,  and  to  whom  Morris  was  directly  responsi- 
ble. At  the  time  when  his  engagement  with  Rogers, 
Ketchum  &  Grosvenor  began  his  mother  was  still  living 
at  No.  39  Bond  Street,  and  Morris  used  to  walk  to  and 
from  home  to  the  office  each  day,  besides  doing  much 
walking  on  errands  during  the  day. 

The  boy  made  himself  so  useful  to  his  employers  that 
he  was  rapidly  advanced,  and  soon  held  a  position  of  large 
responsibility.  In  course  of  time  he  was  given  charge  of 
all  the  purchasing  for  the  business,  had  the  oversight  of 
the  shipping  of  all  the  manufactures,  and  the  paying  of 
the  men.    One  of  his  duties  was  to  attend  to  the  loading 

28 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  29 

of  the  parts  of  locomotives  made  by  the  firm  upon  freight 
cars  for  shipment.  "Often,"  he  told  a  friend,  "I  have 
w^alked  dov^n  Broadway  even  in  the  depths  of  winter  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  the  boat  slips  and  docks, 
swinging  a  lantern  in  my  hand,  in  order  to  superintend 
this  work.  My  recollection  of  the  darkness  of  those 
mornings  and  the  special  spots  of  blackness  around 
those  docks  and  piers  has  made  the  modern  lighting  by 
electricity  an  ever-new  marvel  to  me/'^ 

Unfortunately  for  Mr.  Jesup,  this  increase  in  respon- 
sibility was  accompanied  by  no  corresponding  increase  of 
salary.  When  he  had  been  with  Rogers,  Ketchum  & 
Grosvenor  for  twelve  years  and  had  risen  from  office  boy 
to  the  highest  position  in  the  business,  his  salary  was  still 
only  six  hundred  dollars.  He  was  not  unnaturally  dis- 
satisfied. At  the  same  time,  he  had  such  confidence  in 
Mr.  Grosvenor  that  he  thought  the  latter  would  have 
given  him  more  if  he  had  supposed  him  worth  it.  Ac- 
cordingly, without  saying  anything  to  his  employer,  Mr. 
Jesup  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  look  for  another 
position,  or  start  in  business  for  himself,  and  made  his 
plans  accordingly.  He  had  no  capital,  as  it  was  his  habit 
to  give  all  his  surplus  earnings  to  his  mother.  Soon, 
however,  an  opportunity  offered.  Through  his  brother 
Frederick,  who  was  at  this  time  employed  as  cashier  in 
the  banking  office  of  Ketchum,  Rogers  &  Bement,  he 
had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Charles  Clark,  the 
firm's  book-keeper.  Mr.  Clark  and  Mr.  Jesup  made  an 
arrangement  to  go  into  partnership  under  the  firm  name 
of  Clark  &  Jesup,  the  former  to  furnish  the  capital  and 

^  Mrs.  Francis  P.  Kinnicutt  is  my  authority  for  the  above  incident,  as  for 
many  other  interesting  side-lights  upon  Mr.  Jesup's  life. 


30  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

to  attend  to  all  the  office  affairs,  and  the  latter  to  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  out-door  business. 

This  decision  was  made  in  the  year  1852.  When  Mr. 
Jesup's  plans  were  fully  made,  he  informed  Mr.  Grosvenor. 
The  latter,  who  had  been  entirely  unaware  of  the  dissatis- 
faction of  his  chief  clerk,  for  whom  he  had  the  highest  re- 
gard, felt  very  badly  at  the  thought  of  his  leaving.  When 
he  learned  the  reason,  he  acknowledged  that  he  had  been 
at  fault  and  urged  Mr.  Jesup  to  stay  on  with  him  on  his 
own  terms,  but  the  decision  had  been  made,  and  it  was 
too  late  to  draw  back. 

Instead  of  being  offended  by  this  refusal,  Mr.  Grosve- 
nor's  interest  in  his  former  employee  was  rather  increased, 
and  he  offered  to  help  him  in  any  way  he  could  in  his 
new  enterprise.  He  gave  him  a  letter  in  the  name  of  the 
firm,  commending  his  abiHty  in  the  highest  terms.  He 
took  him  to  the  Union  Bank  in  Wall  Street  and  introduced 
him  to  the  President  as  his  boy,  asking  that  a  credit  of 
two  thousand  dollars  be  opened  for  him  in  the  bank  on 
his  guarantee.  Mr.  Jesup  did  open  his  first  account  with 
this  bank,  but  he  never  had  occasion  to  use  the  credit. 
When  later  the  firm  of  Rogers,  Ketchum  &  Grosvenor 
became  the  Rogers  Locomotive  Works,  Mr.  Jesup  was 
offered  the  vice-presidency  of  the  company  and  accepted 
the  position,  which  he  held  in  addition  to  his  own  busi- 
ness. Until  his  death  in  1853  Mr.  Grosvenor  remained  one 
of  Mr.  Jesup's  best  friends.  He  trusted  him  in  many 
things,  and  when  he  died  made  him  one  of  the  executors 
of  his  will.  Mr.  Jesup  used  often  to  recall  some  counsel 
given  him  at  their  last  interview.  "Morris,"  said  Mr. 
Grosvenor,  "would  you  mind  if  I  gave  you  a  httle  advice  .f"* 
Mr.  Jesup  replied,  "Nothing  would    please  me  more.'* 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  31 

Mr.  Grosvenor  then  said,  "Never  indorse  a  note  except  for 
your  business,  and  begin  early  to  give  away  your  money/' 

The  independence  which  Mr.  Jesup  showed  in  severing 
his  relations  with  Mr.  Grosvenor  was  frequently  illus- 
trated in  his  later  life.  In  all  the  questions  which  came 
before  him  for  decision  he  was  accustomed  to  make  up 
his  own  mind,  and  when  his  decision  was  once  formed 
he  acted  without  delay.  A  trifling  incident  which  occurred 
early  in  his  business  life  is  worth  mentioning  for  the  side- 
light which  it  sheds  upon  his  character.  Like  most  men, 
he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  carrying  a  small  note-book  in 
which  he  put  down  his  engagements,  notices,  and  other 
memoranda  to  which  he  had  occasion  to  refer  from  time 
to  time.  One  day  he  realized  that  he  was  becoming 
dependent  upon  this  book  and  that,  as  a  result,  his  mem- 
ory was  growing  weaker.  He  determined  that  if  he  was 
not  to  become  a  slave  to  the  habit  it  was  time  for  this 
dependence  to  cease.  It  so  happened  that  at  the  time 
he  was  crossing  the  ferry  to  Jersey  City.  No  sooner  was 
his  decision  made  than  he  took  the  book  from  his  pocket, 
threw  it  into  the  river,  and  from  that  time  till  the  day  of 
his  death,  never  carried  in  his  pocket  a  memorandum- 
book  for  constant  record,  though,  of  course,  when  occa- 
sion required,  he  made  notes  of  the  necessary  data  and 
figures  in  which  accuracy  was  essential. 

The  office  of  Clark  &  Jesup  was  at  No.  139  Pearl 
Street.  The  firm  dealt  in  railroad  supplies.  They  did  a 
commission  business,  purchasing  from  the  manufacturers 
and  selling  to  the  roads,  a  work  for  which  Mr.  Jesup's  ex- 
perience with  Rogers,  Ketchum  &  Grosvenor  peculiarly 
fitted  him.  The  business  was  a  new  one,  in  which  the 
firm  was  largely  a  pioneer.    The  railroads  of  the  country 


32  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

were  still  comparatively  young,  and  the  high  specialization 
which  now  characterizes  all  branches  of  the  railroad  in- 
dustry had  not  yet  been  developed.  The  total  mileage 
of  the  country  was  then  less  than  thirteen  thousand  miles, 
as  compared  with  over  two  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
miles  to-day,  and  the  opportunity  opened  to  a  young  man 
of  independence  and  enterprise  was  correspondingly  great. 
In  the  autobiographical  fragment,  to  which  reference 
has  been  made,  Mr.  Jesup  has  left  on  record  the  names 
of  some  of  the  men  who  helped  him  in  his  early  business 
career.  Prominent  among  these  was  Mr.  Morris  Ketchum, 
his  father's  friend,  for  whom  he  was  named,  then  a  mem- 
ber of  the  banking  house  of  Rogers,  Ketchum  &  Be- 
ment.  Others  were  Jonathan  Sturges,  of  the  firm  of 
Arnold,  Sturges  &  Company;  Joseph  Sheffield,  the  well- 
known  founder  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  who,  with 
Mr.  Henry  Farnam,  built  the  Rock  Island  Railroad; 
George  Griswold,  of  the  Illinois  Central,  whose  help  in 
connection  with  the  business  of  that  road  proved  very 
useful  to  Mr.  Jesup.  Still  others  with  whom  he  had  in- 
timate associations  were  Mr.  R.  B.  Mason,  of  Chicago, 
of  the  firm  of  Ferris,  Bishop  &  Company,^  the  Schuylers, 
Robert  and  George,  the  former  the  Treasurer  and  Trans- 
fer Agent  of  what  has  subsequently  become  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad;  and  Henry 
Dwight,  who  was  actively  interested  in  the  Chicago  & 
Alton,  one  of  the  first  roads  for  which  Mr.  Jesup's  firm 
did  business,  and  for  which  they  acted  as  fiscal  and  trans- 
fer agents.  All  these  men  were  engaged  in  large  railroad 
interests,  and,  in  Mr.  Jesup's  own  suggestive  words,  "I 

*  Ferris,  Bishop  &  Company  took  the  contract  for  building  part  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  as  well  as  the  Dubuque  &  Pacific  Railroad,  which  after- 
ward became  the  Dubuque  &  Sioux  City  Railroad. 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  33 


tried  hard  to  make  myself  useful  to  them,  and  I  think  I 
succeeded/' 

While  still  a  clerk  in  the  employ  of  Rogers,  Ketchum 
&  Grosvenor,  Mr.  Jesup  had  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  a  young  Scotchman,  Mr.  John  S.  Kennedy,  who  had 
recently  come  to  this  country  as  the  representative  of 
the  English  firm  of  William  Bird  &  Company.  This 
firm  were  agents  for  a  certain  kind  of  locomotive  tubing 
much  in  use  in  the  railroads  of  this  country,  upon  which 
the  patent  was  held  in  England.  Rogers,  Ketchum  & 
Grosvenor  were  large  purchasers  of  this  material,  and  it 
was  in  this  connection  that  Mr.  Jesup  and  Mr.  Kennedy 
met.  The  acquaintance,  formed  in  Wall  Street,  was  re- 
newed in  the  rooms  of  the  newly  organized  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  in  the  formation  of  which  they  had 
both  been  active.  Acquaintance  soon  ripened  into  friend- 
ship, and  when,  a  few  years  later,  Mr.  Jesup  felt  the  need 
of  a  change  in  his  business  relations,  his  thoughts  turned 
to  Mr.  Kennedy. 

The  latter  in  the  meantime  had  returned  to  Scotland, 
to  take  up  the  Glasgow  agency  of  William  Bird  &  Com- 
pany. Here  he  was  visited  a  year  later  by  Mr.  Jesup, 
who  had  sailed  for  England  at  short  notice  in  order  to 
facilitate  the  shipment  of  a  large  order  of  iron  rails,  the 
delay  of  which  jeopardized  a  contract  in  which  one  of 
his    friends  was    interested.*     His    business   successfully 

^  The  friend  in  question  was  Henry  Dwight,  at  that  time  engaged  with 
Governor  Mattison,  of  Illinois,  in  building  the  Chicago  &  Mississippi  Railroad. 
Mr.  Jesup  later  used  to  recall  the  excitement  which  was  produced  when  one 
Friday  morning  Mr.  Dwight  came  into  the  office  at  No.  139  Pearl  Street 
and  said  that  he  wished  him  without  delay  to  go  to  Newport  and  to  Cardifif, 
Wales,  in  order  to  expedite  the  shipping  of  some  ten  thousand  tons  of  iron 
rails  for  which  he  had  contracted  with  the  firm  of  Crashay,  then  the 
largest  rail-makers  in  the  world.  In  those  days  there  was  no  steamer  sailing 
from  New  York;  the  only  regular  service  was  by  the  Cunard  Line  from  Boston, 


34  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

accomplished,  Mr.  Jesup  went  to  Glasgow  to  resume  his 
acquaintance  with  Mr.  Kennedy,  and  while  there  pro- 
posed to  him  that  they  should  join  their  business  fortunes. 
Mr.  Kennedy's  residence  in  this  country  had  convinced 
him  that  America  offered  a  better  opening  for  a  young 
man  than  Great  Britain,  and  he  was  therefore  ready  to 
accept  Mr.  Jesup's  proposition  that  they  should  form  a 
partnership.  Mr.  Jesup  returned  to  New  York,  where 
he  was  followed  in  the  spring  of  1857  by  Mr.  Kennedy,* 
and  in  due  course  a  new  firm  was  formed  under  the  name 
of  M.  K.  Jesup  &  Company,  which  had  its  office  at  No. 
44  Exchange  Place. 

Like  Clark  &  Jesup  the  new  firm  dealt  in  railroad 
supplies  and  acted  as  middlemen  between  the  manufact- 
urers and  the  railroads.  Insensibly,  however,  like  so 
many  other  American  firms  which  began  as  merchants, 
they  drifted  into  a  banking  business.  Their  acquaintance 
with  railroad  men  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  gave  them 
an  unusual  insight  into  railroad  problems,  and  they  early 
began  to  deal  in  the  securities  of  the  railroads,  as  well 
as  in  the  raw  materials  which  went  to  build  up  their 

sailing  once  a  fortnight  and  stopping  over  at  Halifax.  The  next  steamer  sailed 
on  the  following  Wednesday,  or,  in  other  words,  five  days  from  the  time  when 
Mr.  Dwight  approached  Mr.  Jesup  with  his  request.  Judged  by  the  prevail- 
ing standards,  the  time  for  decision  and  for  preparation  was  so  short  that  Mr. 
Jesup  was  tempted  to  say  no — all  the  more,  because  he  had  strong  personal 
reasons  for  wishing  to  stay  at  home.  His  mother,  however,  strongly  advised 
him  to  go,  and,  in  deference  to  her  judgment,  he  made  the  trip,  taking  his 
brother  Arthur  with  him.  The  steamer  was  the  Europa,  a  very  small  ship. 
She  was  two  weeks  on  the  passage.  Mr.  Jesup  was  "dreadfully  sea-sick,"  but 
he  went  directly  to  his  work  and  succeeded  in  getting  off  the  rails,  for  which 
service  he  received  from  Mr.  Dwight  high  praise  and  a  liberal  check. 

*  Some  idea  of  the  primitive  condition  of  ocean  travel  at  the  time  may  be 
gained  from  the  fact  that  on  his  first  passage  Mr.  Kennedy's  ship  encountered 
such  severe  storms  that  she  was  obliged  to  turn  back,  and  his  arrival  in  the 
city  was  accordingly  delayed  for  several  weeks. 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  35 

physical  equipment.  Mr.  Kennedy  brought  to  the  firm 
technical  knowledge,  sound  judgment,  and  independence 
of  character.  His  familiarity  with  conditions  on  the 
other  side  usefully  supplemented  Mr.  Jesup's  experience 
gained  in  New  York,  and  the  combination  which  re- 
sulted was  one  of  unusual  strength. 

It  had  been  originally  planned  that  Mr.  Kennedy 
should  reside  in  Glasgow  and  look  after  the  interests  of 
the  firm  on  the  English  side  of  the  Atlantic,  but  this  ar- 
rangement was  never  carried  out.  He  preferred  life  in 
this  country,  believing,  as  has  already  been  said,  that  it 
oflFered  better  opportunities  than  the  old  world,  a  judg- 
ment which  his  later  experience  amply  justified. 

The  partnership  between  Mr.  Kennedy  and  Mr.  Jesup 
continued  for  ten  years.  During  the  winter  of  1861-62 
Mr.  Kennedy  was  in  Chicago,  where  he  organized  a 
branch  house  under  the  firm  name  of  Jesup,  Kennedy 
&  Adams,  the  other  partner  being  Mr.  John  Macgre- 
gor  Adams,  who  had  previously  acted  as  agent  for  the 
firm.  The  headship  of  this  new  firm  was  soon  after 
assumed  by  Mr.  John  Crerar,  who  about  this  time  be- 
came a  partner  of  M.  K.  Jesup  &  Company.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy thereupon  returned  to  New  York,  where  he 
remained  until  1867  when  his  partnership  with  Mr.  Jesup 
was  dissolved.  Mr.  Crerar  remained  a  partner  of  both 
firms  until  his  death. ^    Mr.  Kennedy,  after  a  year  of  rest 

^  Mr.  Crerar  was  an  interesting  character.  Like  Mr.  Kennedy,  a  Scotch- 
man, he  began  business  as  a  clerk  in  the  employ  of  Lyman  &  FuUerton,  iron 
merchants,  but  soon  found  his  way  to  this  country  where  he  spent  most  of  his 
life.  A  man  of  literary  tastes,  he  was  the  President  of  the  Mercantile  Library 
Association,  and  a  friend  of  Thackeray  whom  he  entertained  during  his  Ameri- 
can trip.  His  connection  with  the  firm  of  M.  K.  Jesup  &  Company  began  in 
1863-64.  In  Chicago,  where  he  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he  became  a 
well-known  figure.  At  his  death  he  left  a  million  dollars  to  his  adopted  city 
to  be  used  in  the  establishment  of  a  free  library. 


36  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

and  travel,  entered  business  for  himself  under  the  firm 
name  of  John  S.  Kennedy  &  Company. 

After  the  dissolution  of  his  partnership  with  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy, Mr.  Jesup  continued  in  active  business  for  seventeen 
years.  In  1870  Mr.  John  Paton  joined  the  firm,  and  the 
firm  name  w^as  changed  to  M.  K.  Jesup,  Paton  &  Com- 
pany. Later  Mr.  Jesup's  nephev^,  Mr.  C.  C.  Cuyler,  was 
taken  into  the  firm.  On  Mr.  Jesup's  retirement  in  1884 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  John  Paton  &  Company, 
and  still  later,  after  Mr.  Paton's  death,  to  Cuyler,  Morgan 
&  Company.  In  both  these  firms  Mr.  Jesup  remained  a 
special  partner. 

The  story  of  Mr.  Jesup's  businss  life  is  that  of  many 
another  American  who,  starting  from  small  beginnings, 
by  his  industry,  thrift,  and  foresight  has  gradually  ac- 
quired large  means  and  corresponding  influence.  Here 
we  are  interested  primarily  in  the  eflFects  of  his  business 
training  upon  his  later  life  and  the  elements  which  it  con- 
tributed to  his  usefulness  as  citizen  and  philanthropist. 

One  most  important  effect  was  to  enlarge  his  horizon. 
Men  who  have  to  do  with  the  transportation  problem 
are  obliged  by  the  very  necessities  of  their  business  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  general  conditions  which  affect 
commerce  the  world  over.  Mr.  Jesup  was  no  exception. 
His  railroad  interests  brought  him  into  touch  with  all 
parts  of  the  country^   and  familiarized  him  with  condi- 

^  Mr.  Jesup's  nephew,  Mr.  Thomas  de  Witt  Cuyler,  has  kindly  furnished  me 
with  the  following  statement  concerning  the  railroads  with  which  from  time 
to  time  Mr,  Jesup  had  business  connections: 

"The  first  railroad  with  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  connected  was  the  Chicago 
&  Alton.  He  was  identified  with  this  almost  from  its  inception  in  the  fifties 
until  the  final  sale  of  the  property  to  other  interests  some  seven  or  eight  years 
ago.  He  was  also  early  identified  with  the  Dubuque  &  Sioux  City  Railroad 
and  with  the  Cedar  Falls  &  Minnesota  Railroad.  All  these  roads  might  be 
called  pioneer  enterprises  in  the  West,  and  Mr.  Jesup  not  only  gave  of  his  time 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  37 

tions  of  which  he  might  otherwise  have  remained  in 
ignorance.  Thus,  as  we  shall  see,  his  interest  in  Southern 
education  had  its  origin  in  a  business  trip  made  to  Rich- 
mond in  the  days  before  the  war  when,  for  the  first  time, 
he  was  brought  face  to  face  with  the  actual  conditions  of 
life  under  a  system  of  slavery. 

A  second  effect  was  to  increase  his  confidence  in  his 
own  powers.  Naturally  of  a  sanguine  disposition,  Mr. 
Jesup's  business  experience  taught  him  that  with  patience 
and  perseverance  it  is  often  possible  to  bring  success  out 
of  conditions  which  seem  hopeless.     In  the  course  of  his 

and  substance  to  their  construction,  but  also  had  close  business  relations  with 
them  through  his  firm  for  many  years. 

"After  these  railroads  came  his  interests  in  the  roads  of  the  South.  Imme- 
diately after  the  war  it  became  necessary  to  rehabilitate  the  Southern  roads, 
and  Mr.  Jesup  became  a  prominent  member  of  what  was  known  as  the  South- 
ern Security  Company,  the  object  of  which  was  the  reconstruction  and  rehabili- 
tation of  the  Southern  roads,  notably  the  Southern  Railway,  the  Atlantic  Coast 
Line,  the  Northeastern  Railroad  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  Savannah,  Florida 
&  Western.  After  the  dissolution  of  the  Southern  Security  Company  Mr. 
Jesup  retained  his  interest  largely  in  these  roads,  especially  in  the  combination 
made  by  the  amalgamation  of  many  of  them,  known  as  the  Plant  System.  It 
was  only  a  few  years  ago  that  he  parted  with  his  interest  in  this  system,  upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Plant. 

"Mr.  Jesup  also  had  close  relations  with  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western 
Railroad  Company  and  the  Havana  &  Rantoul  &  Eastern  Railroad,  both  Illi- 
nois corporations  which  required  patience  and  money  to  work  out.  In  both 
instances  he  was  successful,  and  the  properties  were  sold,  one  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  and  the  other  to  the 
Illinois  Central. 

"Mr.  Jesup  was  also  interested,  with  Mr.  Joseph  W.  Drexel,  in  the  Natchez, 
Jackson  &  Columbus  Railroad  of  Mississippi.  This  was  a  small  narrow-gauge 
road  to  which  Mr.  Drexel  had  made  a  large  loan.  Mr.  Jesup,  who  was  at  that 
time  managing  Mr.  Drexel's  affairs,  took  the  property  in  hand,  widened  the 
gauge,  and  sold  the  property  to  the  Illinois  Central  without  loss  to  Mr.  Drexel. 
His  ability  was  also  displayed  in  his  handling  of  the  Keokuk  &  Western  and  of 
the  Cleveland  &  Mariette  Railroad  of  Ohio.  The  latter  was  an  old  and  dis- 
creditable road  which  had  passed  through  several  foreclosures  and  out  of  which 
no  one  seemed  able  to  produce  anything.  The  firm  of  Jesup,  Paton  &  Com- 
pany being  largely  interested  in  this  security,  Mr.  Jesup  took  hold  of  it,  nursed 
the  property  for  several  years,  recreated  it,  and  finally  sold  it  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company,  a  subsidiary  company  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
at  a  price  which  brought  a  handsome  return  to  the  shareholders." 


38  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

business  he  had  to  do  not  only  with  sound  railroad  proper- 
ties, but  also  with  properties  of  less  established  character 
where  there  was  a  considerable  risk  to  be  run,  and  where 
success  depended  largely  upon  the  ability  with  which  the 
enterprise  was  managed.  In  every  case  he  was  successful 
in  that  which  he  undertook,  and  this  success  not  unnatu- 
rally gave  him  confidence  in  deahng  with  the  philan- 
thropic and  educational  problems  to  which  his  later  years 
were  given. 

Mr.  Jesup's  confidence  and  resourcefulness  were  well 
illustrated  in  connection  with  his  reorganization  of  the 
Keokuk  &  Western  Railroad.  This  road,  which  was 
then  known  as  the  Missouri,  Iowa  &  Nebraska  Railroad, 
"was  physically  almost  unsafe  to  run  upon.  Its  earnings 
amounted  to  but  little  and  there  was  almost  no  return 
on  the  capital  invested."  It  was  leased  to  the  Wabash 
Railroad  Company,  which  guaranteed  the  bonds.  In 
1885  the  Wabash  defaulted  on  its  interest.  Mr.  Jesup 
was  not  only  himself  the  holder  of  many  of  the  bonds, 
but  he  had  many  friends  who  were  interested.  He  there- 
upon determined  to  see  what  could  be  done  to  save  the 
property.  As  a  first  step  he  moved  to  have  a  receiver 
appointed.  "  Receiver's  certificates  were  issued  with  which 
to  pay  for  relaying  the  road  with  steel  rails  and  furnish- 
ing the  cars,  locomotives,  etc.,  and  putting  the  road  in 
first-class  condition."  In  1886  a  new  company  was 
formed,  called  the  Keokuk  &  Western  Railroad  Company, 
of  which  Mr.  A.  C.  Goodrich  was  made  manager.  The 
bondholders'  committee,  "with  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  con- 
nected, obtained  the  deposit  of  all  the  bonds  but  one  of 
the  old  Missouri,  Iowa  &  Nebraska  Railroad,  all  of 
which  bonds  were  afterward  exchanged  for  stock  to  the 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  39 

full  amount  of  the  mortgage."  In  order  to  secure  an 
outlet  for  the  road,  which  at  that  time  seemed  likely  to 
be  shut  in  by  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  Mr. 
Jesup  secured  control  of  a  narrow-gauge  road  running 
from  Des  Moines,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  across  the 
Keokuk  &  Western  at  Van  Wert.  The  funds  for  the  pur- 
chase of  this  road  Mr.  Jesup  provided  himself,  as  well  as 
for  widening  the  gauge  and  furnishing  the  road  with  a 
complete  modern  equipment.  As  a  result,  the  Keokuk 
&  Western  became  a  dividend-payer,  yielding  four  per 
cent,  upon  its  stock.  The  wisdom  of  Mr.  Jesup's  man- 
agement was  soon  seen  from  the  fact  that  other  roads 
offered  to  purchase  from  him  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  stock  of  the  Keokuk  &  Western,  but  this  offer  he 
refused,  demanding  that  all  the  stockholders  should  be 
given  the  same  price.  Finally,  in  1899,  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  purchased  the  road  at  a  price 
satisfactory  to  the  owners,  and  it  now  forms  part  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  system.^ 

In  the  third  place,  Mr.  Jesup's  business  experience 
taught  him  the  great  importance  of  attention  to  detail. 
He  began  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  and  was  content  to 
rise  one  step  at  a  time,  but  his  face  was  always  turned 
upward,  and  as  soon  as  his  feet  were  firmly  planted  on 
one  round  he  began  to  study  the  footing  above.  He  never 
lost  the  habit.  He  wished  to  understand  whatever  he 
undertook,  and  thought  no  detail  too  trifling  to  be  beneath 
his  notice. 

One  of  his  friends  is  my  authority  for  the  following 
incident.  One  evening  as  she  was  on  her  way  to  dine 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesup,  her  son,  who  on  the  following 

*  My  authority  for  the  above  statement  is  Mr.  T.  de  Witt  Cuyler. 


40  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

day  was  to  begin  the  momentous  enterprise  of  earning 
his  own  living,  said  to  her:  "Please  tell  Mr.  Jesup  that 
I  am  going  down  to  Wall  Street  to-morrow  to  begin  my 
business  career,  and  as  I  am  so  ignorant  that  I  do  not 
even  know  where  Wall  Street  is,  I  should  greatly  value 
his  advice."  Mr.  Jesup's  answer  was  as  follows:  "Tell 
the  boy  first  to  learn  how  to  do  his  own  job,  and  then  to 
begin  directly  to  learn  how  to  do  the  work  of  the  man 
ahead  of  him.  Tell  him  to  follow  that  course  in  every 
direction  in  the  office  and  not  to  take  his  summer  holiday 
at  such  a  season  that  he  will  lose  the  opportunity  of  study- 
ing during  the  absence  of  his  fellow-members  on  the  office 
staff.  In  this  way  he  will  not  only  learn  many  things 
which  he  will  need  to  know  later,  but  he  will  make  him- 
self doubly  useful  to  his  employers.  Tell  him,  in  the 
second  place,  that  as  soon  as  he  makes  any  money  in  life 
he  should  begin  directly  to  learn  how  to  give  away  some 
of  it.  This  giving  away  should  be  made  an  intelligent 
habit  and  not  be  left  to  chance  impulse  after  a  man  finds 
himself  possessed  of  more  than  he  needs."  The  advice 
was  eminently  characteristic  of  the  giver.  He  had  learned 
both  how  to  make  money  and  how  to  spend  it,  and  he 
regarded  the  second  as  an  art  worthy  of  as  serious  study 
as  the  first. 

Finally,  Mr.  Jesup's  business  experience  taught  him 
the  intimate  relation  between  commerce  and  other  sides 
of  human  activity.  He  believed  that  charity,  to  be  sound, 
must  rest  on  a  firm  economic  foundation  and  aim  to  elim- 
inate the  causes  of  poverty  as  well  as  to  correct  its  conse- 
quences. Hence  his  interest  in  industrial  education,  in  the 
cause  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers.  Hence  his 
earnest  advocacy  of  forest  preservation  and  his  efforts 


THE  YEARS  OF  PREPARATION  41 

to  secure  the  application  of  sound  business  principles  in 
the  administration  of  public  affairs.  Hence,  finally,  his 
interest  in  those  studies  which  increase  our  knowledge  of 
the  conditions  of  productive  industry  and  teach  us  the 
most  effective  methods  of  warfare  against  the  enemies 
that  imperil  its  success.  As  the  charitable  and  educa- 
tional interests  which  later  engrossed  his  time  and  thought 
had  their  beginning  while  he  was  still  in  active  business, 
so  his  retirement  left  him  more  than  ever  conscious  of  his 
indebtedness  to  the  field  of  commerce  and  industry,  in 
which  his  special  training  had  been  won.  From  first  to 
last  he  saw  life  as  a  unity,  and  in  whatever  he  undertook, 
never  suffered  his  devotion  to  detail  to  blind  him  to  the 
larger  interests  and  relations  through  which  alone  the 
highest  success  is  possible. 

Thus  when,  in  1884,  Mr.  Jesup  retired  from  business, 
it  was  with  a  training  which  fitted  him  in  exceptional  de- 
gree for  the  work  which  he  was  about  to  undertake.  What 
that  work  was  and  how  he  set  about  it  we  have  now  to 
consider. 


CHAPTER  V 

WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN 

IVyTR.  JESUP  has  given  the  reasons  which  led  him 
•*■■■■  to  resign  from  active  business  in  the  following 
words:  "From  the  beginning  of  my  business  life  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  engage  in  such  religious  and  philanthropic 
matters  as  would  excite  my  sympathy,  so  that  my  business 
should  not  entirely  engross  my  mind  and  make  me  sim- 
ply a  business  machine,  although  naturally  my  ambition, 
pride,  and  interest  were  alike  enlisted  in  making  my 
business  a  success.  I  can  say  conscientiously  that  during 
the  long  period  of  my  business  life  I  have  carried  out  this 
resolution,  as  the  many  enterprises,  religious,  scientific, 
philanthropic,  and  artistic,  with  which  I  have  been  con- 
nected for  forty  years  past  will  attest.  It  was  the  spirit 
of  this  resolution  that,  in  1884,  determined  my  decision 
to  go  out  of  business.  I  found  that  both  business  and 
charitable  work  were  becoming  so  absorbing  that  one  or 
the  other  must  suffer  if  I  continued  to  do  both.  So, 
after  careful  consideration  of  the  whole  matter,  I  retired 
from  business  and  have  devoted  my  spare  time  to  work- 
ing for  others  and  for  the  public  interest.  Although  at 
the  time  some  of  those  I  loved  best  and  respected  most 

42 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  43 

advised  me  against  taking  the  step,  I  can  truthfully  say 
that  I  have  never  regretted  the  decision." 

It  was,  of  course,  impossible  for  a  man  with  so  many 
business  responsibilities  to  make  the  transition  instan- 
taneously. During  the  period  when  Mr.  Jesup  was  en- 
gaged in  active  business  his  charitable  interests  had  long 
divided  his  time  with  his  business  affairs,  and  in  the  new 
relation  upon  which  he  now  entered  he  still  found  busi- 
ness claiming  no  small  part  of  his  attention.  As  has  al- 
ready been  said,  he  remained  a  special  partner  in  the 
firm  of  John  Paton  &  Company,  as  well  as  later  of  Cuy- 
ler,  Morgan  &  Company,  its  successor,  and  his  partners 
were  always  free  to  come  to  him  for  advice  in  the  enter- 
prises in  which  they  were  engaged.  The  management 
of  his  property,  already  large,  brought  with  it  cares  of 
its  own,  and  his  action  in  the  case  of  the  Keokuk  &  West- 
ern Railroad  has  shown  how  actively  he  continued  to 
interest  himself  in  the  welfare  of  the  properties  of  whose 
securities  he  was  a  large  holder.  Many  of  his  charitable 
interests,  moreover,  involved  large  financial  responsibility. 
When  he  accepted  the  treasurership  of  the  Slater  Fund, 
he  assumed  the  management  of  a  principal  fund  of  a 
million  dollars.  The  presidency  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce made  him  ex  officio  3.  member  of  the  Rapid  Transit 
Commission,  and  led  to  his  accepting  the  presidency  of 
the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor.  Thus  the  new  life  upon  which 
Mr.  Jesup  entered,  while  involving  a  change  of  activity, 
proved  no  less  arduous  than  that  upon  which  he  had 
turned  his  back. 

For  convenience,  we  may  divide  the  activities  of  Mr. 
Jesup's  later  life  into  four  groups:  First,  religious;  sec- 
ond,   philanthropic;     third,    educational;     fourth,    civic. 


44  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

Some  of  them,  such  as  his  work  for  the  New  York  City 
Mission  and  the  Syrian  Protestant  College,  were  the 
direct  result  of  his  membership  in  the  Christian  Church. 
Others,  such  as  his  campaign  for  clean  streets  and  his 
service  in  the  cause  of  Southern  education,  made  their 
appeal  on  the  ground  of  common  humanity.  Into  others, 
such  as  the  presidency  of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History 
and  his  support  of  Peary,  he  was  led  through  his  de- 
votion to  the  cause  of  education  and  science.  While  still 
others,  such  as  his  duties  as  President  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  came  to  him  in  his  public  capacity  as  a 
representative  citizen. 

The  line  between  these  different  groups  is  of  course  a 
fleeting  one,  and  it  is  not  always  easy  to  tell  where  one 
interest  leaves  off^  and  another  begins.  Nevertheless,  for 
our  present  purpose  it  will  prove  a  convenient  principle 
of  division.  Before,  however,  we  consider  Mr.  Jesup's 
work  along  these  four  lines  it  will  be  worth  our  while  to 
retrace  our  steps  for  a  few  moments  and  to  consider  the 
earlier  activities  through  which  he  received  his  first  train- 
ing in  charitable  and  philanthropic  work. 

In  order  to  do  this  we  must  go  back  to  the  very  begin- 
ning of  Mr.  Jesup's  business  career,  while  he  was  still 
a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Rogers,  Ketchum  &  Grosvenor. 
It  was  in  the  year  1852,  two  years  before  he  set  up 
in  business  for  himself,  and  while  he  was  still  but 
twenty-two  years  old,  that  a  group  of  young  men  met  in 
New  York  City  to  organize  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  of  that  city.  Of  this  group  Mr.  Jesup  was 
one.  His  name  appears  in  the  first  annual  report  among 
the  Hst  of  members  of  the  Association,  and  it  is  worthy  of 
note,  as  showing  that  even  before  Mr.  Grosvenor  gave 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  45 

him  the  advice  he  so  highly  valued,  he  had  begun  to  act 
upon  its  principles,  that  he  was  one  of  seventeen  who,  in 
addition  to  the  membership  fees,  made  a  special  contri- 
bution to  current  expenses  in  the  first  year. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  the  school 
in  which  many  of  those  who  afterward  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  civic  and  charitable  life  of  New  York  received 
their  training  in  philanthropic  activity.  The  list  of  men 
who  took  part  in  its  foundation  and  its  early  manage- 
ment is  a  remarkable  one.  It  included  such  names  as 
William  E.  Dodge,  Jr.,  Cephas  Brainerd,  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan,  John  Crosby  Brown,  Charles  Lanier,  Elbert  B. 
Monroe,  and  John  S.  Kennedy.  Nor  must  we  forget 
the  man  who,  more  than  any  other,  determined  the  policy 
of  the  new  Association  from  the  first,  its  efficient  and  de- 
voted Secretary,  Mr.  Robert  R.  McBurney.  What  the 
Association  accomplished  under  his  leadership  is  so  famil- 
iar that  it  is  not  necessary  to  retell  it  here.  Commanding 
the  services  of  men  of  no  common  ability,  who  gave  their 
time  and  energy  freely  to  its  service,  it  soon  assumed  the 
leadership  of  the  Association  work  of  the  country  and  ex- 
tended its  influence  to  England  and  the  Continent  as  well. 

In  all  that  was  done  Mr.  Jesup  took  an  active  part. 
For  fifty-two  years  he  was  a  member  and  for  more  than 
forty  an  officer  of  the  Association.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1866.  He  was  Vice-Presi- 
dent from  1868  to  1872,  and  President  from  1872  to  1875. 
He  continued  as  advisbry  director  and  trustee  until 
the  close  of  his  life,  and  for  the  last  five  years  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  aggregate  of  his 
gifts  to  the  Association  was  over  one  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  and  he  influenced  the  giving  of  a  much 


46  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

larger  amount  by  others.  To  the  last,  his  interest  in  its 
work  continued  active,  and  during  his  last  sickness  he 
had  in  his  possession  for  careful  examination  the  plans 
for  its  next  important  building. 

The  years  during  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  witnessed 
the  erection  at  a  cost  of  half  a  million  dollars  of  the  first 
building  specially  designed  to  accommodate  the  Asso- 
ciation's work  for  young  men  in  the  broader  aspects  in 
which  it  was  beginning  to  conceive  it,  a  work  which 
made  provision  for  physical  and  intellectual  as  well  as 
for  moral  and  religious  needs.  In  this  building  there 
was  seen  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  our  American 
Christianity  on  so  large  a  scale  that  happy  marriage  of 
philanthropy  and  religion,  of  Christian  consecration  and 
social  service,  with  which  we  have  since  become  familiar. 
Here,  as  so  often  in  Mr.  Jesup' s  life,  the  work  on  which 
he  was  engaged  was  pioneer  work,  the  full  significance 
of  which  it  remained  for  the  future  to  reveal. 

He  was  fortunate  in  living  to  see  the  example  set  by 
the  New  York  Association  widely  followed  both  in  this 
country  and  across  the  sea.  When,  in  1895,  the  jubilee 
of  the  parent  society  was  held  in  London  it  was  Mr. 
Jesup's  privilege  to  head  the  American  delegation  and, 
in  the  presence  of  two  thousand  delegates  assembled  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  to  extend  to  the  venerable  founder, 
Sir  George  Williams,  "the  greeting  and  congratulations 
of  his  American  children,  grown  to  mature  manhood, 
yet  manifesting  the  vigor  of  a  perpetual  youth." 

Through  his  connection  with  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  Mr.  Jesup  was  led  to  engage  in  a  wide 
range  of  activities  several  of  which  are  sufficiently  im- 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  47 

portant  to  deserve  special  mention.  First  among  these 
must  be  placed  the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
of  which  he  became  the  treasurer  on  its  organization  in 
1 86 1,  a  position  which  he  continued  to  hold  until  the 
dissolution  of  the  Commission  in  1880.  Another  cause  in 
which  his  services  were  enlisted  was  the  work  among  rail- 
road men,  which  was  inaugurated  at  Cleveland  in  1872. 
The  supervision  and  extension  of  it  was  undertaken  by 
the  International  Committee  in  1877.  Mr.  Jesup,  as  a 
member  of  this  committee,  took  a  leading  part  both  in 
the  supervision  and  in  the  support  of  this  department  of 
its  work  for  more  than  thirty  years.  Through  his  efforts 
on  behalf  of  the  dying  San  Francisco  Association  he  was 
brought  into  intimate  relations  with  Mr.  Moody,  whom 
he  induced  to  undertake,  in  the  winter  of  1880-81,  an 
evangelistic  campaign  on  behalf  of  the  young  men  of  that 
city  which  resulted  in  the  permanent  re-establishment  of 
the  Association.  Through  the  Association,  finally,  Mr, 
Jesup  met  Mr.  Anthony  Comstock,  then  actively  identi- 
fied with  a  branch  of  the  New  York  Association,  and  was 
led  to  give  his  support  to  the  brave  effort  which  the  lat- 
ter was  making  almost  single-handed  against  the  manu- 
facturers of  indecent  literature.  Each  of  these  episodes 
deserves  a  word  of  special  notice. 

Mr.  Jesup's  connection  with  the  Christian  Commission 
came  about  in  this  way.  The  Association,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  founded  in  1852.  Nine  years  later  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  It  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  new  organ- 
ization, then  still  in  its  experimental  stage.  Its  ranks 
were  seriously  depleted  by  the  enlistment  of  its  members. 
All  eyes  were  turned  to  the  front,  and  it  was  difficult 
to  sustain  interest  in  the  routine  work  which  had  hitherto 


48  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

engaged  the  energies  of  the  Association.  But  the  crisis 
opened  a  new  opportunity,  of  which  its  leaders  were 
not  slow  to  take  advantage.  Within  a  month  after  the 
conflict  began,  the  army  committee  of  the  New  York 
City  Association  was  at  work  among  the  soldiers  in  camp. 
Soon  there  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  City  as 
many  as  twenty-two  camps  of  soldiers  en  route  for  the 
front  and  within  easy  reach  of  visitation  by  this  com- 
mittee. In  other  cities  there  were  similar  opportunities, 
and  it  was  obvious  that  if  they  were  to  be  efficiently  met, 
a  new  and  larger  organization  was  necessary. 

To  meet  this  necessity  the  United  States  Christian 
Commission  was  organized.  It  consisted  of  twelve  mem- 
bers, representing  eight  leading  cities,  with  strong  branch 
committees  in  each  city.  George  H.  Stuart,  of  Phila- 
delphia, was  the  head  of  the  entire  Commission,  and  the 
active  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
New  York  branch  was  the  Honorable  Nathan  Bishop. 
Created  in  November,  1861,  by  a  convention  of  the  differ- 
ent associations  meeting  in  New  York  City,  it  became  the 
agent  of  the  associations  and  of  the  Christian  public  in 
work  among  the  soldiers.  It  was  the  medium  by  which 
the  Christian  homes,  churches,  and  communities  of  the 
country  sent  material  and  spiritual  comfort  to  the  hus- 
bands, sons,  and  brothers  who  were  at  the  front.  No  less 
than  four  thousand  eight  hundred  delegates,  men  and 
women,  clergymen  and  laymen,  nurses  and  other  workers, 
were  employed  as  agents  of  the  Commission,  and  kept  the 
men  in  the  field  in  touch  with  the  home  interests  which 
they  had  left  behind.  Through  these  agents  the  Chris- 
tian Commission  co-operated  efficiently  with  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission  in  the  kindred  ministry  in 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  49 

which  It  was  engaged.  During  the  five  years  of  its  ex- 
istence the  Commission  raised  and  expended  over  two 
and  a  half  millions  in  money,  and,  in  addition,  secured 
and  distributed  donations  of  stores  to  the  value  of  three 
million  dollars.  A  million  and  a  half  Bibles,  three  hun- 
dred thousand  other  books,  a  million  and  a  quarter 
hymn-books,  twenty  million  papers,  magazines,  and  other 
literature,  and  eight  million  knapsack-books  were  circu- 
lated among  the  troops.  Altogether,  the  Commission 
proved  one  of  the  most  beneficent  agencies  ever  devised 
to  alleviate  the  miseries  and  the  horrors  of  war. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  an  active  member  of  the  Commission 
from  the  first.  Though  but  thirty-one  years  old  at  the 
time  it  was  organized,  he  became  its  treasurer,  a  position 
which  he  held  until  1880,  when  the  books  were  finally 
closed.  He  threw  himself  into  the  work  heart  and  soul. 
An  old  scrap-book  among  his  papers  is  filled  with  news- 
paper clippings  describing  in  detail  the  various  meetings 
held  on  behalf  of  the  committee  and  the  methods  which 
they  employed  in  the  prosecution  of  their  work.  They 
carry  us  back  to  the  days  of  storm  and  stress,  when  the 
fate  of  the  republic  still  hung  in  the  balance,  and  it 
needed  faith  and  courage  to  believe  that  the  country 
which  had  so  successfully  resisted  attack  from  without 
would  be  able  to  withstand  this  more  serious  challenge 
from  within.  Mr.  Jesup  believed  with  all  his  heart  in  the 
righteousness  of  the  Northern  cause,  and  never  doubted 
its  ultimate  success.  A  Union  man  through  and  through, 
what  he  had  seen  in  the  South  of  the  evils  of  slavery  had 
convinced  him  that  no  country  could  permanently  pros- 
per which  carried  such  a  canker  at  its  heart,  and  no 
one  rejoiced  more  than  he  on  that  memorable  day  when 


50  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

the  pen  of  Abraham  Lincoln  set  the  last  American  slave 
free. 

When  the  war  was  over,  a  small  balance  still  remained 
in  the  treasury  of  the  Commission.  This  was  so  wisely 
cared  for  by  Mr.  Jesup  that  after  the  lapse  of  fourteen 
years  it  amounted  to  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  In 
1880,  with  the  approval  of  his  associates,  he  turned  it  over 
to  the  New  York  City  Association  under  an  agreement 
which  provided  that  it  should  be  invested  in  funds  designed 
for  the  erection  of  one  of  the  Association  buildings  in 
New  York,  and  that  the  Association,  in  consideration 
thereof,  should  continue  "the  distribution  of  papers  and 
periodicals  from  its  reading-rooms  to  the  soldiers  and  sail- 
ors of  the  United  States,  in  memory  of  the  work  done  by 
the  United  States  Christian  Commission  during  the  years 
1861-1866."  ^  The  money  was  thus  twice  invested,  in  each 
instance  to  its  full  value,  and  during  the  twenty  years  fol- 
lowing over  a  million  pieces  of  reading  matter  were  grad- 
ually distributed  among  United  States  soldiers  and  sailors. 

In  1877  ^^^  International  Committee  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  decided  to  undertake  the 
supervision  and  extension  of  special  work  on  behalf  of 
the  railroad  employees  of  the  country.  Mr.  Jesup  was 
one  of  the  first  to  lend  his  support  to  the  enterprise.  The 
work  appealed  to  him  strongly.    Through  his  business  he 

^  The  text  of  the  agreement  may  still  be  read  on  a  tablet  erected  in  the  prin- 
cipal building  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  New  York  City. 
It  is  as  follows:  "This  tablet  was  erected  to  commemorate  a  gift  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  on  December  28,  1880,  of  the  New  York  Branch  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York,  that  the  Associa- 
tion may  keep  alive  and  cherish  in  the  minds  of  its  members  their  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  officers  and  men  of  our  army  and  navy  and  carry  on  in  con- 
sideration of  this  gift  the  distribution  of  papers  and  periodicals  from  its  reading- 
rooms  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  United  States,  in  memory  of  the  work 
done  by  the  United  States  Christian  Commission  during  the  years  1861-1866." 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  51 

had  been  brought  into  intimate  association  with  rail- 
road men  and  railroad  problems,  and  he  realized  better 
than  most  men  how  much  the  work  was  needed.  He 
believed  in  the  co-operative  principles  on  which  the  work 
was  conducted,  the  plans  providing  that  the  employees 
should  share  with  the  employers  both  in  its  management 
and  support.  He  therefore  willingly  accepted  a  position 
on  the  International  Railroad  Committee  and  served 
continuously  until  his  death.  During  the  thirty  years  in 
which  he  was  identified  with  the  committee  his  aid  and 
sympathy  were  constant.  His  influence  and  example  were 
a  powerful  factor  in  enlisting  in  the  undertaking  other 
men  of  importance  in  the  railroad  world,  both  older  and 
younger,  notably  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  his  junior 
both  in  railroad  and  in  Association  service.  His  gifts  in 
money  amounted  to  over  fifty  thousand  dollars,  half  of 
this  taking  the  form  of  an  endowment  perpetuating  his 
annual  gifts.  He  noted  with  satisfaction  the  growing 
interest  and  approval  with  which  the  work  was  regarded 
by  railroad  capitalists  and  officials,  and  rejoiced  to  see 
the  example  of  the  railroad  men  followed  by  workers  be- 
longing to  other  social  groups.  The  soundness  of  the 
methods  followed  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  they  have 
been  successfully  applied  not  only  among  railroad  men 
but  among  miners,  lumbermen,  cotton-mill  hands,  fac- 
tory operatives,  government  employees  on  the  canal 
zone  and  in  construction  camps,  as  well  as  soldiers  and 
sailors  in  military  camps  and  naval  stations. 

In  1876  Mr.  Jesup  had  occasion  to  visit  the  Pacific 
coast  and  was  greatly  impressed  with  the  need  of  aggres- 
sive Christian  work  of  the  kind  which  had  already  been 
successfully  carried  on  in  New  York  City.     The  Associa- 


52  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

tlon  of  San  Francisco  was  at  this  time  deeply  in  debt  and 
in  need  of  a  thorough  reorganization.  It  occurred  to  Mr. 
Jesup  that  if  Mr.  Moody,  who  was  then  in  the  height  of  his 
success  as  an  evangelist,  could  be  induced  to  go  to  San 
Francisco,  an  impulse  might  be  given  to  the  Christian  life 
of  that  city  which  would  not  only  arouse  an  immediate 
interest  in  religion,  but  would  put  the  Association  upon 
its  feet  and  make  it  the  efficient  instrument  for  Christian 
service  which  in  his  conviction  it  ought  to  be.  Mr.  Moody 
and  Mr.  Jesup  had  been  friends  for  some  years.  During 
the  evangelistic  campaign  which  Mr.  Moody  had  just 
completed  in  New  York  City  he  had  been  Mr.  Jesup's 
guest,  and  the  latter  had  gained  an  insight  into  his  meth- 
ods and  had  formed  a  high  opinion  of  his  judgment. 
He  accordingly  proposed  to  Mr.  Moody  to  inaugurate  a 
campaign  in  San  Francisco  similar  to  that  which  he  had 
already  conducted  in  New  York.  Mr.  Moody  accepted 
the  invitation  and,  in  co-operation  with  the  International 
Committee,  of  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  at  that  time  a  mem- 
ber, a  very  satisfactory  work  was  carried  on  by  the  evan- 
gelist, in  the  fruits  of  which  the  people  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  the  Association  alike  participated.  The  debt 
of  the  Association  was  wiped  out,  Mr.  Jesup  taking 
the  lead  in  securing  a  gift  of  ten  thousand  dollars  from 
friends  in  New  York.  When,  thirty  years  later,  San 
Francisco  met  with  her  great  calamity,  and  the  building 
of  the  Association  shared  the  common  fate  of  its  neigh- 
bors at  the  hands  of  earthquake  and  fire,  it  was  to  Mr. 
Jesup  that  the  Association  turned  for  help  in  its  hour  of 
need.  The  response  was  instant  and  generous.  Mr.  Jesup 
consented  to  become  chairman  of  a  committee  to  raise 
the  half  million  dollars  needed  for  a  new  building  and 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  53 

led  the  list  of  donors  with  his  own  gift  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars. 

The  intimate  relations  which  Mr.  Jesup  sustained 
with  Mr.  Moody  at  this  time  continued  uninterrupted 
until  the  latter's  death.  The  evangeUst  found  in  Mr. 
Jesup  an  intelligent  and  sympathetic  supporter  in  the 
various  enterprises  in  which  he  was  engaged.  He  was  a 
frequent  visitor  at  Mr.  Jesup's  home  and  valued  the 
advice  which  he  received  there  as  much  as  the  money 
which  he  carried  away.  It  was  a  rare  January  which  did 
not  find  among  Mr.  Jesup's  early  letters  one  from  Mr. 
Moody.  The  following,  chosen  from  several  which  have 
chanced  to  survive,  is  so  characteristic  both  of  the  writer 
and  of  the  recipient  that  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  quoting 
it  in  full: 

Mount  Hermon  Boys'  School, 

January  2,   1 89 1. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Jesup: 

Excuse  me  for  my  boldness,  but  I  know  you  will  give 
away  about  so  much  in  1891,  and  if  I  can  get  my  call  in 
early  enough  I  think  you  will  remember  me  some  time  in 
the  year.  Mount  Hermon  has  added  ;^  180,000  to  your 
;f5,ooo.  The  Sem.  has  about  ;?  100,000  and  the  school  at 
Chicago  has  property  worth  about  ^150,000  and  the 
^100,000  as  endowment.  Now,  if  my  friends  will  help  me 
a  few  years  longer  I  think  I  will  then  have  them  all  en- 
dowed and  in  good  working  order. 

The  last  time  I  saw  you  you  said  you  wanted  results. 
I  think  we  can  show  them  to  you  now  and  if  you  call  me 
up  here  in  the  Spring  I  think  we  can  cheer  your  heart. 

Thanking  you  for  your  help  in  the  past  and  wishing 
you  A  Happy  New  Year  and  a  joyful  eternity,  I  remain, 
Your  true  friend, 

(Signed)  D.  L.  Moody. 


54  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

In  March,  1872,  the  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  received  a  note  from  a  young  man 
named  Anthony  Comstock,  requesting  his  help  in  the 
efforts  which  he  was  making  to  suppress  the  traffic  in 
indecent  literature,  which  at  that  time  was  being  carried 
on  among  young  men  to  an  appalling  extent.  The 
letter,  which  was  in  pencil,  was  so  indistinctly  written 
that  he  returned  it  to  the  writer  to  be  recopied.  But 
before  it  left  his  hands  he  showed  it  to  Mr.  Jesup,  and 
the  latter  was  so  much  impressed  by  what  he  read  that 
he  determined  to  visit  the  writer  in  person,  in  order  to 
hear  his  story  for  himself. 

The  story  which  Mr.  Jesup  heard  appealed  strongly 
to  his  sympathies.  Five  years  before,  Comstock  had 
come  to  New  York  with  five  dollars  in  his  pocket  to  seek 
his  fortune.  After  a  few  days  he  found  a  position  as 
porter  in  a  dry-goods  house,  and  later  became  stock  clerk 
in  a  wholesale  notion  house  in  Warren  Street.  Here  he 
was  brought  into  contact  with  large  numbers  of  young 
men  and  soon  discovered  that  some  of  them  were  being 
demoralized  by  obscene  books  and  pictures  which  were 
systematically  circulated  among  them. 

Comstock  was  not  a  man  who  waited  for  others  to  do 
things.  Learning  from  one  of  his  fellow-clerks  the  name 
of  the  man  who  supplied  the  literature,  he  had  him  ar- 
rested. A  similar  effort  some  time  later  revealed  to  him 
the  fact  that  he  had  to  do  with  an  organized  business 
which  relied  on  the  protection  of  the  police,  and  that, 
unless  he  could  secure  the  assistance  of  some  one  of 
greater  means  and  influence  than  his  own,  his  efforts 
would  be  fruitless.  At  this  juncture  he  wrote  the  letter 
to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  which  led  to 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  55 

his  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Jesup,  and  ultimately  to  the 
formation  of  the  Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Vice. 

From  the  first,  Mr.  Jesup  interested  himself  in  Corn- 
stock's  work,  securing  from  him  a  full  statement  of  his 
plans  in  detail,  and  submitting  them  to  a  meeting  of  in- 
fluential men  held  at  his  own  house  to  take  counsel  as  to 
the  best  method  of  carrying  them  out.  As  a  result  of 
this  meeting  a  committee  was  organized  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  of  which 
Mr.  Jesup  became  a  member,  to  supervise  the  work  and 
to  provide  the  funds  necessary  for  its  support.  Mr. 
Jesup  contributed  largely  to  the  committee,  and  when 
emergencies  arose  when  speedy  action  was  necessary  to 
secure  results,  his  personal  check  was  readily  forthcom- 
ing. It  was  largely  due  to  his  influence  and  to  that  of 
Mr.  Dodge  that  in  1873  Comstock  succeeded  in  getting 
the  bill  passed  by  Congress  which  put  into  his  hands 
the  power  necessary  to  a  successful  prosecution  of  his 
work.  More  than  once  when  Comstock  was  publicly 
attacked,  Mr.  Jesup  came  to  his  support.  On  one  oc- 
casion when,  in  the  course  of  a  libel  suit  which  he  had 
felt  obliged  to  bring  against  a  certain  man  who  had 
notoriously  misrepresented  him,  he  was  subjected  to  more 
than  usually  outrageous  abuse,  Mr.  Jesup,  at  great  per- 
sonal inconvenience,  went  to  Philadelphia  in  order  to 
be  present  at  the  trial  and  to  testify  to  his  confidence  in 
Comstock,  whom  he  declared  he  knew  well  and  "would 
trust  with  all  his  possessions." 

It  required  no  little  moral  courage  for  Mr.  Jesup  and  his 
associates  to  take  this  stand.  The  forces  which  opposed 
Comstock  were  powerful  and  well  organized.  His  efforts 
were  denounced  as  fanatical  and  tyrannical.     The  legisla- 


56  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

tion  he  had  secured  was  declared  to  endanger  the  free- 
dom of  the  press  and  of  speech,  and,  under  the  lead  of 
the  so-called  National  Liberal  League,  an  organization  in 
which  Robert  G.  IngersoU  took  a  prominent  part,  millions 
of  signatures  were  secured  to  a  petition  which  two  years 
later  was  presented  in  Washington  in  favor  of  its  repeal. 
Moreover,  there  was  a  feeling  among  many  persons  who 
sympathized  with  Comstock's  objects  that  the  matters 
with  which  he  had  to  deal  were  too  unpleasant  to  be 
touched  by  persons  of  sensitive  feeling,  and  that  more 
harm  was  done  by  stirring  up  the  pool  than  by  letting 
it  lie.  So  strong  was  this  feeling  and  so  great  the  odium 
which  attached  to  those  who  supported  Comstock,  that 
the  committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, under  which  up  to  May,  1873,  the  work  had  been 
carried  on,  considered  it  no  longer  expedient  to  con- 
tinue its  official  support.  Under  the  circumstances  it 
was  necessary  to  form  a  new  organization,  and,  accord- 
ingly, in  May,  1873,  a  meeting  was  held  in  Mr.  Jesup's 
house,  at  which  the  Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Vice, 
as  it  is  now  known,  was  formally  launched  on  its  career. 
Mr.  Samuel  Colgate  became  the  President  of  the  new 
organization.  Mr.  Jesup  was  its  Vice-President,  and  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  a  position  which  he 
held  until  ten  years  before  his  death. 

Among  Mr.  Comstock's  papers  are  found  many  letters 
from  Mr.  Jesup,  which  show  the  interest  with  which  he 
followed  the  details  of  the  Society's  work.  Dealing,  most 
of  them,  with  matters  of  routine,  they  are  yet  full  of  little 
touches  which  shed  interesting  side-lights  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  writer.  Writing  under  date  of  January  14, 
1880,  to  express  his  regret  at  being  unable  to  attend  the 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  57 

annual  meeting,  he  says:  "I  regret  this  the  more  be- 
cause you  need  all  the  encouragement  you  can  get,  and  I 
always  want,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  to  give  you  what- 
ever I  can  in  every  way."  A  year  later  he  writes:  **I  was 
very  much  delighted  with  the  meeting  last  night,  par- 
ticularly with  your  report.  The  only  thing  that  I  regret 
is  that  the  opportunity  was  not  better  improved  for  tak- 
ing up  a  collection."  Five  years  later,  under  date  of 
December  28,  1886:  "Do  not  hesitate  to  come  and  see 
me  any  time  when  you  feel  that  any  counsel  or  advice 
would  be  of  service  to  you.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to 
set  the  time,  as  I  am  always  busy,  but  some  day  when 
you  are  passing  my  office,  drop  in  and  we  will  make 
arrangements  for  a  talk."  Ten  years  later,  referring  to 
an  attack  which  had  been  made  upon  Mr.  Comstock, 
he  writes:  "You  will  have  seen  Mr.  Colgate  to-day  and 
will  have  learned  from  what  he  tells  you,  how  indignant 
I  feel  about  the  treatment  you  have  received.  I  shall  do 
all  I  can  to  have  justice  done  you.  God  rules  and  will 
bring  out  all  things  for  your  good,  for  you  are  his  child 
and  he  will  guide  and  protect  you.  What  has  been  done 
will  injure  those  who  have  done  the  evil  more  than  you." 
And  again,  in  an  undated  letter,  referring  to  a  recent  illness 
of  his  own:  "I  am  out  now  and  shall  try  to  see  you  in  a 
few  days,  as  you  need  sympathy  now.  You  have  mine, 
no  matter  what  the  vile  press  says,  as  long  as  you  do 
right.  God  is  with  you  and  if  he  is,  what  do  you  care 
for  man?"  Another  letter,  also  undated,  is  in  the  same 
strain:  "I  have  been  more  or  less  confined  to  my  house 
for  ten  weeks  with  my  old  enemy,  a  rheumatic  knee.  I 
see  you  need  cheering  up.  Come  and  dine  with  me  on 
Wednesday  evening,  come  here  at  half  past  seven,  or,  if 


58  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

you  cannot  do  this,  come  some  morning  at  ten  o'clock. 
You  know  I  will  stand  by  you."  And  still  again:  "I  did 
not  intend  this  week  should  pass  without  my  seeing  you 
and  having  a  good  talk,  but  what  am  I  to  do  ?  I  work 
every  moment  trying  to  do  my  duty.  I  cannot  do  more. 
So  the  week  has  gone.  I  shall  try  to  see  you  early  in  the 
week." 

An  early  letter,  referring  to  some  forgotten  scandal, 
well  illustrates  Mr.  Jesup's  uncompromising  attitude  in 
matters  of  right  and  wrong. 

197  Madison  Avenue,  N.  Y. 

October  Sth,  1877. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Comstock: 

Your  letter  of  the  6th  came  to  hand  this  morning,  and  I 
have  given  the  same  my  careful  thought  and  attention. 

I  am  pained  and  worried  that  any  officer  of  the  Society 
which  you  represent,  and  which  was  formed  after  so 
much  thought  and  trial,  should  even  think  of  compromis- 
ing or  compounding  with  any  party  or  individual  who  has 
been  caught  in  dealing,  or  abetting,  in  the  vile  stuff  which 
is  causing  so  much  misery  and  moral  stain  among  our 
young  men  and  women.  I  cannot  believe  that  our  Society 
are  sincere  in  proposing  any  compromise.  No,  sir,  I  hope 
you  will  stand  firm  and,  by  your  acts,  show  to  the  world 
that  any  and  every  one  found  guilty  of  breaking  the  law 
and  doing  business  in  this  "vile  stuff"  shall  be  punishedy 
no  matter  who  it  hurts. 

Yours  most  truly, 

(Signed)  Morris  K.  Jesup. 

Under  date  of  October,  1896,  Mr.  Jesup  writes  of  his 
great  regret  at  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Samuel  Colgate 
from  the  Society,  made  necessary  by  the  condition  of  his 
health:  "I  do  not  know  how  this  place  is  to  be  filled. 


WORK  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  59 

As  you  know,  I  have  had  for  a  long  time  a  very  great 
desire  to  retire  myself  from  the  Society,  and  I  have  re- 
peatedly explained  to  you  my  reason,  but  my  regard  for 
Mr.  Colgate  and  for  yourself  personally  has  kept  me 
from  doing  what  I  ought  to  have  done  and  ought  to  do 
now/'  For  two  years  after  this  letter  Mr.  Jesup  continued 
to  act  as  Vice-President,  but  the  increasing  pressure  of 
his  other  duties  and  the  urgent  advice  of  his  physician 
made  his  retirement  at  last  a  necessity,  and  on  January 
17,  1898,  he  sent  in  his  resignation,  accompanying  it  with 
a  letter  in  which  he  spoke  of  his  real  regret  at  the  neces- 
sity for  his  taking  this  step,  and  assuring  Mr.  Comstock 
that  he  should  ever  continue  to  take  a  great  interest 
in  him  and  in  the  Society  itseh  and  do  all  that  he  could 
to  promote  its  welfare. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE   PHILANTHROPIST 

"^rO  one  who  followed  Mr.  Jesup's  later  life  could  doubt 
that  the  reason  which  he  gave  for  resigning  from  the 
Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Vice  was  a  legitimate  one. 
It  was  literally  true  that  he  was  busy  every  moment. 
From  the  bewildering  variety  of  his  philanthropies  we 
may  select  three  as  representative.  His  agitation  on  be- 
half of  the  preservation  of  the  Adirondack  forests  illus- 
trates his  interest  in  the  conservation  of  those  natural  re- 
sources which  are  the  basal  condition  of  a  sound  national 
life.  His  work  as  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Five 
to  secure  cleaner  streets  for  the  City  of  New  York  is 
typical  of  his  sense  of  civic  responsibility,  while  his  ser- 
vices to  the  South  in  connection  with  his  treasurership 
of  the  Slater  Fund  show  the  fundamental  place  which  he 
assigned  to  industrial  education  among  the  agencies  for 
making  and  training  citizens.  Through  these,  illustrating 
as  they  do  widely  different  fields  of  his  activity,  it  will  be 
possible  for  us  to  gain  an  insight  into  the  principles  which 
governed  him  in  all  that  he  did. 

On  December  6,  1883,  Mr.  Jesup,  acting  at  the  request 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  presented  in  the  Chamber 

60 


THE   PHILANTHROPIST  6i 

of  Commerce  the  following  memorial  addressed  to  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York: 

To  THE  Honorable  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  in  Senate  and  Assembly  convened: 

May  it  please  your  Honorable  Body: 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York 
is  alarmed  at  the  dangers  which  threaten  the  water  sup- 
ply of  the  rivers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  through 
the  destruction  of  the  forests  which  protect  their  sources. 

The  Chamber  believes  that  the  preservation  of  these 
forests  is  necessary  to  maintain  an  abundant  and  constant 
flow  of  water  in  the  Hudson,  the  Mohawk  and  other  im- 
portant streams;  and  that  their  destruction  will  seriously 
injure  the  internal  commerce  of  the  State.  As  long  as 
this  forest  region  remains  in  the  possession  of  private 
individuals,  its  protection  from  fire  and  lumbering  oper- 
ations will  be  impossible.  Believing,  then,  that  this 
matter  is  one  of  very  great  importance,  and  that  the 
necessity  exists  for  immediate  legislative  action,  we 
humbly  pray  your  Honorable  Body  to  adopt  such  meas- 
ures as  will  enable  the  State  to  acquire  the  whole  terri- 
tory popularly  known  as  the  Adirondack  Wilderness, 
and  hold  it  forever  as  a  forest  preserve. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  led  to  take  this  action  through  the 
knowledge  which  he  had  gained  as  President  of  the  Natu- 
ral History  Museum,  and  especially  through  his  studies 
in  connection  with  the  Jesup  collection  of  the  woods  of 
America.  These  studies  had  brought  him  into  contact 
with  experts  in  the  art  of  forest  preservation,  and  he  had 
learned  from  them  the  danger  to  which  the  country  was 
exposed  through  the  rapid  destruction  of  its  forest  pre- 
serve. The  knowledge  was  not  as  familiar  then  as  it 
has  since  become,  and  public  sentiment  was  still  unedu- 


62  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

cated.  Mr.  Jesup,  realizing  the  danger,  felt  that  energetic 
action  was  necessary,  and  the  memorial  which  he  pre- 
sented to  the  Chamber  was  the  form  which  this  action 
took. 

In  urging  the  adoption  of  this  resolution  Mr.  Jesup 
called  the  attention  of  the  Chamber  to  the  irreparable 
injury  which  would  be  done  to  the  great  waterway  lead- 
ing to  New  York  City  through  the  threatened  destruction 
of  the  Adirondack  Wilderness.  He  explained  the  rela- 
tion of  the  forests  to  the  water  supply,  showing  how  the 
forests  store  up  and  preserve  from  evaporation  the  large 
precipitation  of  rain,  and  particularly  the  snow  which  the 
mountains  attract,  a  service  all  the  more  important  be- 
cause the  natural  water-shed  of  the  rivers  which  serve 
New  York  State,  such  as  the  Hudson,  the  Mohawk,  and 
the  Black,  is  so  limited.  He  illustrated  the  truth  of  this 
assertion  by  showing  the  diminution  which  had  already 
taken  place  in  the  Hudson  as  a  result  of  the  destruction  of 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  forests  which  once  covered 
its  water-shed.  He  reminded  the  Chamber  that  so  long 
as  the  high  mountain  ridges  where  the  greatest  snowfall 
occurred  were  preserved,  the  most  serious  danger  would 
be  avoided,  but  declared  that  unless  prompt  action  were 
taken  it  would  be  too  late  to  prevent  even  this.  He 
showed  how  the  profit  on  lumber  and  forest  products 
all  over  the  country  had  so  advanced  that  it  had  be- 
come profitable  to  cut  and  market  the  comparatively  infe- 
ferior  Adirondack  lumber.  He  reminded  them,  more- 
over, of  the  danger  of  forest  fires  which  would  result  from 
carrying  railroads  through  the  forest  regions  to  transport 
the  products  of  the  mills  which  were  rapidly  multiplying. 
He  concluded  in  the  following  words:   "A  wise  and  com- 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  63 

prehensive  State  policy  will  seize  upon  the  whole  forest 
region,  perhaps  four  million  acres  in  excess  of  the  present 
State  holding,  and  keep  it  for  all  time  as  a  great  forest 
preserve  and  in  this  way  insure  abundant  water  to  the 
Hudson  and  the  canal.  The  money  that  this  would  cost 
the  State,  great  as  the  sum  would  be,  would  be  returned 
in  improvements  and  more  permanent  agriculture." 

The  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Chamber,  and  on 
Mr.  Jesup's  motion  a  committee  of  seven  was  appointed, 
of  which  he  was  made  the  chairman,  to  seek  the  co-opera- 
tion of  associations  and  individuals  throughout  the  State 
to  secure  the  necessary  legislation. 

The  committee  took  up  the  matter  with  energy.  They 
circulated  a  petition  throughout  the  State  which  received 
many  signatures.  They  appeared  before  a  special  com- 
mittee of  the  Senate  at  Albany  on  December  28,  in  order 
to  urge  upon  them  the  purchase  by  the  State  of  the  four 
million  acres  of  private  forest  land  in  the  Adirondack 
region  needed  for  the  protection  of  the  sources  of  the 
Hudson.  At  the  hearing  Mr.  Jesup  repeated  the  argu- 
ments which  he  had  already  used  before  the  Chamber. 
The  opposition  was  strong  and  well  organized.  The  fa- 
miliar arguments  of  paternalism  and  extravagance  were 
worked  for  all  they  were  worth.  But  Mr.  Jesup  and  his 
friends  were  not  discouraged  and,  as  a  result  of  the  vig- 
orous campaign  they  organized,  the  proposed  legislation 
was  eventually  secured,  much  to  the  advantage  of  the 
people  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  not  content  with  securing  the  original 
legislation.  He  watched  with  jealous  eye  all  later  en- 
croachments upon  the  forest  preserve  of  the  State  and 
more  than  once  addressed  the  Chamber  on  the  subject. 


64  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

In  1888  he  urged  upon  the  Chamber  their  support  of  the 
additional  legislation  recommended  by  the  State  Forestry 
Commission  with  a  view  to  preventing  "railroad  com- 
panies from  constructing  through  or  in  any  way  encroach- 
ing upon  the  forests  owned  by  the  State."  Here,  as  so 
often,  his  work  was  that  of  a  pioneer.  To-day  forest 
preservation  has  become  an  accepted  national  policy; 
but  twenty-five  years  ago  this  was  not  the  case,  and  the 
action  taken  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  on  Mr. 
Jesup's  initiative  was  an  important  factor  in  educating 
the  sentiment  which  has  made  the  wider  movement  pos- 
sible. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  episodes  in  Mr.  Jesup's 
life  was  the  part  which  he  took  in  securing  the  establish- 
ment of  an  efficient  Street  Cleaning  Department  in  the 
City  of  New  York.  It  is  difficult  for  any  one  to-day,  even 
chronic  complainers,  to  realize  what  were  the  condi- 
tions in  New  York  City  in  the  early  eighties.  "The 
tenement-house  districts,  the  needs  of  which  always  re- 
ceived a  large  share  of  Mr.  Jesup*s  attention,  were  some- 
times left  for  several  weeks  in  the  snows  of  winter  without 
the  removal  of  garbage.  Children  were  allowed  to  stir 
and  eat  out  of  ash  barrels,  and  even  discarded  mat- 
tresses, trunks,  etc.,  were  left  unmoved  in  the  streets  for 
days."  In  two  words  the  state  of  things  was  "intolera- 
ble and  indescribable." 

I  owe  to  Mr.  Thatcher  M.  Adams,  who  was  himself 
an  efficient  worker  in  the  cause  of  clean  streets,  my  in- 
formation as  to  the  part  which  Mr.  Jesup  bore  in  the 
movement  which  finally  put  an  end  to  this  state  of  affairs. 
The  story  falls  into  two  chapters,  separated  by  an  inter- 
val of  ten  years. 


THE   PHILANTHROPIST  65 

In  1 88 1  a  committee  of  the  New  York  Municipal  So- 
ciety, of  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  a  member,  took  up  the 
matter  of  the  condition  of  the  streets,  made  an  exhaust- 
ive examination  of  the  subject  and  an  extended  report 
which  created  much  excitement.  Mr.  Jesup  was  present 
at  the  reading  of  the  report  and  at  once  enhsted  in  the 
cause.  An  active  agitation  was  at  once  begun,  and  through 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Jesup  and  his  fellow-members  the  situ- 
ation was  so  fully  exploited  that  the  real  danger  became 
apparent  to  all.  Public  indignation  reached  a  climax 
in  the  early  part  of  March,  1881,  and  resulted  in  a  call 
for  a  mass-meeting  of  citizens.  So  large  and  notable  a 
list  of  signers  to  the  call  had  not  been  published,  nor 
had  any  similar  popular  uprising  been  seen  in  New  York 
since  the  Union  Square  meeting  on  the  fall  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter, or  the  anti-ring  demonstration  in  Cooper  Union  in 
1871.  At  this  meeting  a  committee  of  twenty-one  repre- 
sentative citizens  was  appointed  to  secure  a  permanent 
change  for  the  better  in  the  matter  of  cleaning  the  streets. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  a  member  of  that  committee  and  an 
active  and  efficient  participant  in  all  its  proceedings. 
He  accompanied  the  committee  to  Albany  and  gave 
nearly  three  weeks  of  his  valuable  time  to  the  efforts  then 
made  to  secure  the  needed  legislation.  These  efforts 
failed  for  the  reason  openly  stated  by  the  Speaker  of  the 
Assembly  that  the  party  in  power  feared  the  loss  of 
patronage  if  the  committee  were  given  its  bill.  Mr. 
Adams  recalls  "with  a  smile,  but  with  reminiscent  sym- 
pathy, the  indignation  of  Mr.  Jesup  with  its  forcible  ex- 
pression." Six  members  of  the  Assembly  voting  against 
the  committee  were  from  the  City  of  New  York.  Most 
of  these  offered  themselves  for  re-election  in  the  following 


66  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

November.  They  were  prudent  enough  not  to  announce 
their  candidature  until  the  last  moment.  The  Committee 
of  Twenty-one  hastily  assembled  and  prepared  a  spirited 
protest,  but  found  it  impossible  to  secure  its  printing  as 
a  poster  by  any  New  York  house.  In  conjunction  with 
Mr.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Mr.  Jesup  thereupon  wired  the 
protest  to  Philadelphia,  had  it  printed  in  striking  capitals, 
and  returned  in  time  to  placard  the  entire  city.  Every 
hostile  candidate  failed  of  re-election. 

With  the  defeat  of  these  candidates  the  first  chapter 
in  Mr.  Jesup's  connection  with  the  movement  for  reform 
in  street  cleaning  concludes.  The  second  begins  ten 
years  later.  During  the  intervening  decade  the  cause 
had  made  but  little  progress.  The  dead  wall  of  political 
interest  interposed  itself  against  every  forward  stride 
until  the  obstacles  seemed  insurmountable.  "The  cynical 
indifference,"  writes  Mr.  Adams,  "shown  by  both  polit- 
ical parties  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  citizens  of 
New  York,  as  contrasted  with  their  eagerness  to  control 
the  appointment  and  to  levy  toll  upon  the  wages  of  the 
amiable  gentlemen  who  by  a  polite  convention  were 
supposed  to  clean  the  streets,  would  be  ludicrous  if  it 
were  not  lamentable.  During  this  long  interval  Mr.  Jesup 
never  relaxed  in  his  determination  and  struggle  to  secure 
an  efficient  street-cleaning  service,  and  when  ten  years 
later  an  opportunity  came,  he  embraced  it  with  charac- 
teristic promptness  of  decision." 

In  November,  1888,  Mr.  Hugh  J.  Grant  was  elected 
Mayor  after  a  bitter  and  heated  contest  with  Mr.  Hewitt. 
Mr.  Jesup  had  been  one  of  Mr.  Hewitt's  most  pronounced 
supporters,  but,  putting  aside  all  feelings  of  personal 
regret  at  the  outcome,  he  called  upon  Mr.  Grant  shortly 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  67 

after  his  inauguration  and  urged  him  to  take  up  the 
street-cleaning  question,  assuring  him  that  its  successful 
treatment  would  be  an  infinite  credit  to  his  administra- 
tion. As  a  result  of  this  interview"  Mr.  Jesup  invited 
four  gentlemen  to  meet  the  Mayor  at  luncheon  at  his 
house  and  to  discuss  the  situation.  These  gentlemen  were 
Professor  Chandler,  of  Columbia  University,  General 
Francis  V.  Greene,  Mr.  David  H.  King,  Jr.,  and  Mr. 
Thatcher  M.  Adams.  What  followed  is  thus  described 
by  Mr.  Adams: 

The  Mayor  met  us  cordially,  assured  us  of  his  hearty 
co-operation  and  invited  us  to  form  ourselves  into  a  Com- 
mittee to  examine  into,  and  report  to  him  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  street  cleaning,  at  the  same  time  placing  at  our  dis- 
posal a  large  district  in  the  City  upon  which  we  might 
exercise  ourselves  for  a  period  of  three  months,  in  giving 
an  object  lesson  as  to  how  proper  cleanHness  should  be 
enforced.  The  writer,  somewhat  distrustful  of  Greeks 
who  bring  gifts,  ventured  to  whisper  to  his  associates  that 
it  might  be  well  before  accepting  such  an  appointment 
to  append  a  condition  that  our  recommendations  when 
made  should  be  adopted,  but  he  was  over-ruled,  and 
the  invitation  of  the  Mayor  was  accepted  unconditionally, 
Mr.  Jesup  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Committee.  .  .  . 
Its  object  lesson  was  a  pronounced  success  and  the  ex- 
piration of  the  three  months  during  which  it  lasted  was 
mourned  with  profound  regret  by  every  resident  of  the 
district.  But  the  new  departure  of  the  appointment  by 
the  Mayor  of  this  Committee  and  his  setting  it  to  work 
on  a  practical  exemplification  of  how  to  do  it,  caused  an 
unexampled  fluttering  in  the  dovecote  of  Tammany  Hall, 
the  results  of  which  appeared  later  on.  Mr.  Jesup,  as 
always,  was  eager  and  active  in  the  work  of  the  Commit- 
tee and  gave  ungrudgingly  of  his  valuable  time  and  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  affairs  in  its  service.    At  the  termina- 


68  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

tion  of  its  three  months'  probation  he,  at  the  head  of  his 
Committee,  presented  its  conclusions  and  recommenda- 
tions to  the  Mayor  at  the  City  Hall. 

But  here  unexpected  difficulties  arose.  One  of  our 
chief  recommendations  concerned  the  employment  and 
wages  of  labor.  This  was  more  than  was  bargained  for. 
In  lieu  of  thanks  for  its  service  the  Committee  was  dis- 
missed with  scant  ceremony,  and  its  labor  appeared  to 
be  in  vain.  But  good  seed  is  never  wasted.  Though 
sown  in  tears  it  is  reaped  at  last  in  joy.  With  the  elec- 
tion of  Mayor  Strong  came  an  opportunity,  and  Mr. 
Jesup  was  not  slow  to  avail  himself  of  it.  I  do  not  know 
if  he  suggested  the  appointment  of  Colonel  Waring  as 
Street  Cleaning  Commissioner,  but  I  do  know  that  he  en- 
dorsed it  heartily  and  was  delighted  at  its  confirmation. 
And  with  good  reason,  for  though  defects  still  exist,  and 
political  influence  is  still  rife,  he  lived  to  see  New  York  a 
clean  city.^ 

^  How  highly  Colonel  Waring  appreciated  Mr.  Jesup's  influence  in  the  cause 
appears  from  the  following  letter,  written  under  date  of  May  21,  1895,  when 
he  was  seeking  against  strong  opposition  to  carry  through  his  policy  of 
removing  the  trucks  from  the  streets  of  New  York: 

"New  York,  May  21st,  1895. 
"Dear  Mr.  Jesup: 

"  I  appeal  to  you,  not  only  as  Commissioner  but  personally,  and  in  the  strong- 
est way,  to  do  everything  in  your  power  to  secure,  at  the  hearing  to  be  given  at 
the  City  Hall  on  Monday,  May  27,  at  3  p.  m.,  a  formidable  showing  of  those 
persons  of  all  classes  who  are  opposed  to  the  use  of  the  streets  as  a  storage 
place  for  vehicles. 

"His  Honor,  Mayor  Strong,  is  resolutely  determined  to  do  everything  in  his 
power  for  the  abatement  of  the  nuisance,  and  the  Governor  of  the  State  is,  I 
believe,  equally  determined.  At  the  same  time  the  organized  influence  in  favor 
of  practically  unlimited  license  is  so  great  (nearly  3,000  truckmen  having  signed 
the  petition  for  the  Sullivan  bill),  that  it  is  not  fair  to  these  oflScers  to  expect 
them  to  stand  up  alone  against  this  pressure. 

"If  the  Sullivan  bill  should  be  signed,  all  our  work  would  be  undone,  and 
the  streets  would  be  given  over, — probably  for  a  long  time  to  come, — to  the  old 
truck-storage  use.  If  the  bill  is  vetoed,  there  will  be  practically  not  one  unhar- 
nessed vehicle  left  in  the  streets  six  weeks  hence. 

"  What  this  means  to  the  City  of  New  York  few  persons  not  familiar  with  the 
poorer  quarters  begin  to  understand.  We  all  see  that  trucks  are  an  obstacle 
to  the  cleaning  of  the  streets,  to  the  circulation  of  air,  and  to  the  free  use  of  the 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  69 

In  a  recent  conversation  with  the  writer  a  friend  of 
Mr.  Jesup  recalls  the  surprise  he  once  felt  on  passing  Mr. 
Jesup  on  Wall  Street  to  see  him  arm  in  arm  with  a  negro, 
with  whom  he  was  carrying  on  an  animated  conver- 
sation. Who  the  man  was  and  what  Mr.  Jesup  thought 
of  him  may  be  learned  from  the  following  letter,  written 
to  his  friend  Mr.  Alexander  Orr,  like  himself,  a  member 
of  the  Slater  Board : 

December  seventh,  1900. 
Dear  Mr.  Orr: 

I  have  read,  with  great  interest,  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton's book  on  "The  Future  of  the  American  Negro.'* 
In  my  judgment,  it  is  the  best  statement  of  facts,  together 
with  what  is  to  be  done  hereafter  that  I  have  read. 

It  has  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to 
spend  some  of  the  income  of  the  Slater  Trust  in  purchas- 
ing a  cheap  edition,  say,  ten  thousand  numbers,  of  this 
book,  for  jfree  distribution  among  the  whites  and  blacks 

highway  for  traffic.  We  do  not  see  the  degree  to  which  standing  trucks  fill  the 
lives  of  persons  compelled  to  live  in  the  houses  before  which  they  stand,  with 
annoyance,  danger  and  shame.  The  trucks  are  used,  inside  and  out,  for  the 
vilest  purposes.  They  are  skulking  places  for  disorderly  and  dangerous  char- 
acters, and  they  subject  the  helpless  population  of  the  tenement-house  regions 
to  annoyance  and  causes  of  demoralization  from  which  those  who  are  influential 
in  the  community  are  in  duty  bound  to  protect  them. 

"Furthermore,  since  the  trucks  have  been  removed  from  these  districts,  the 
development  of  a  playground  and  exercise  place  for  children  and  for  persons  of 
all  ages  that  has  resulted  therefrom,  has  been  most  marked  and  most  cordially 
appreciated.  In  the  district  east  of  the  Bowery  and  south  of  Houston  Street, 
on  any  pleasant  afternoon  or  evening,  the  streets  present  a  very  different  aspect 
from  that  of  a  year  ago,  and  a  very  much  more  encouraging  aspect. 

"It  is  to  be  hoped  that  representatives  of  all  the  tenement-house  regions, 
especially  their  women,  will  add  by  their  presence  to  the  force  of  what  ought  to 
be  a  universal  demand  for  protection. 

"I  ask  you  personally  to  do  all  that  you  can  to  make  the  attendance  at  this 
hearing  as  large  and  influential  as  possible. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  "Geo.  E.  Waring,  Jr. 
"Morris  K.  Jesup,  Esq., 

"197  Madison  Ave.,  City." 


70  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

in  the  South.  If  you  have  not  seen  the  book,  I  will  ask 
Mr.  Strong  to  send  you  a  copy,  and  when  you  have  read  it, 
I  would  like  to  have  your  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of 
my  suggestions. 

Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)  Morris  K.  Jesup. 
Alexander  E.  Orr,  Esq., 

105  Produce  Exchange  Building, 
New  York. 

This  letter  may  serve  to  introduce  the  story  of  Mr. 
Jesup's  services  to  the  cause  of  negro  education,  to  which 
he  gave  his  best  energies  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century. 

Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  the  cause  of  the  negro  dates 
back  to  1858  and  came  about  in  the  following  way. 
Shortly  before  the  war  he  had  occasion  to  make  a  busi- 
ness journey  to  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  connection  with 
a  railroad  project  undertaken  by  the  Board  of  Internal 
Improvement  of  Virginia.  Under  the  proposed  plan  the 
State  was  authorized  to  subscribe  for  three-fifths  of  the 
cost  of  the  railroad  and  to  issue  State  bonds  in  payment 
for  such  subscription.  It  was  proposed  to  secure  the  re- 
maining two-fifths  from  private  capital,  either  from  in- 
dividuals, cities,  towns,  or  counties,  the  State  to  control 
all  construction  and  manage  the  property.  There  were 
at  this  time  few,  if  any,  miles  of  railroad  in  the  South, 
the  Virginia  Central  being  almost  the  only  road  of  any 
importance  in  the  State.  Some  idea  of  the  inconveniences 
of  travel  at  the  time  may  be  gained  from  Mr.  Jesup's 
description  of  his  journey  to  Richmond.  In  order  to 
reach  it  he  had  to  "go  by  boat  to  Perth  Amboy,  then  by 
the  Camden  &  Amboy  Railroad  to  Camden,  then  across 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  71 

to  Philadelphia,  then  through  the  city  by  street  car  to  the 
railroad  station,  then  to  the  Havre  de  Grace  ferry."  In 
the  course  of  the  journey  to  Baltimore  it  was  necessary  to 
change  from  cars  to  boat  twice,  then  to  go  across  Balti- 
more by  omnibus  to  the  railroad  station,  then  by  flat  rail 
to  Washington,  then  on  by  the  Potomac  to  the  Aquia 
Creek  and  by  strap  rail  to  Richmond.  On  his  arrival  at 
Richmond  Mr.  Jesup  was  courteously  received  by  his 
correspondent,  and  the  details  of  the  proposed  business 
practically  completed.  In  the  afternoon  his  friend  invited 
him  to  see  the  sights  of  Richmond,  among  which  the 
slave  market  occupied  a  prominent  place.  What  fol- 
lows may  be  given  in  Mr.  Jesup's  own  words:  "We  went 
to  the  old  tobacco  house,  not  far  from  the  hotel.  I  was 
taken  into  a  private  room  on  the  floor  adjoining  the  slave 
block,  where  men  and  women  were  housed  and  ready  to 
be  examined  as  to  their  bodies  by  the  dealers  who  were  to 
bid  at  the  sale.  I  saw  a  man  and  woman  stripped  and 
examined,  as  if  they  had  been  animals.  I  saw  a  woman, 
and  also  a  man,  placed  upon  the  block  and  sold.  The 
man  was  married  and,  of  course,  was  to  be  sold  away 
from  his  family.  I  left  the  scene  a  sad  and  sober  man, 
and  took  away  with  me  a  vivid  idea  of  the  horrors  of 
slavery.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  no  State  or  community 
could  prosper  that  sanctioned  or  allowed  it.  I  thought  the 
State  of  Virginia  must  sooner  or  later  fall  into  disgrace,  be- 
cause her  people  could  not  maintain  any  idea  of  honor. 
I  said  to  myself,  *Is  it  right  for  me,  is  it  safe  for  me  and 
my  friends  to  enter  into  large  obligations  in  this  connec- 
tion?' I  decided  that  I  would  abandon  my  business 
relations  at  once  and  return  to  New  York.  I  went  to  my 
hotel,  wrote  to  my  friend  that  I  was  obliged  to  return  to 


72  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

New  York  and  would  advise  him  further  from  there, 
which  I  did,  asking  him  to  excuse  me  from  any  further 
business  consideration  of  the  matters  which  had  been 
discussed  between  us.  The  decision  proved  most  wise, 
for  it  was  not  long  after  this  that  the  trouble  between  the 
North  and  the  South  came  on,  and  Virginia  repudiated 
her  obligations." 

The  incident  made  a  profound  impression  upon  Mr. 
Jesup,  who  used  often  to  speak  of  it  in  after  life,  declar- 
ing that  the  scene  which  he  had  witnessed  in  the  slave 
market  at  Richmond  was  "the  most  awful,  the  most 
heart-breaking,  the  most  repulsive  sight  of  his  whole 
life."  The  emotion  which  it  stirred  within  him  was 
further  intensified  by  his  experiences  in  connection  with 
the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission,  and  from  that 
time  until  his  death  the  cause  of  the  negro  found  in  him  a 
consistent  and  devoted  supporter.  It  was  not,  however, 
until  1882,  two  years  after  his  resignation  of  the  treasurer- 
ship  of  the  Commission  that  the  opportunity  came  to  him 
to  serve  the  cause  in  a  large  way.  In  this  year  Mr.  John 
F.  Slater,  a  prominent  business  man  of  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut, and  an  old  friend  of  Mr.  Jesup,  determined  to 
appropriate  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  negro.  He  consulted  Mr.  Jesup  as  to  the 
best  method  of  accomplishing  his  purpose,  and  the  re- 
sult was  the  formation  of  a  Board  of  Trustees  consisting 
of  a  number  of  gentlemen  eminent  in  church  and  state, 
who  should  hold  the  money  in  trust  and  determine  the 
policy  to  be  pursued  under  it.  The  original  board  con- 
sisted of  ex-President  Hayes,  Chief- Justice  Waite,  Mr. 
William  E.  Dodge,  of  New  York,  Bishop  Phillips  Brooks, 
of  Massachusetts,  President  Daniel  C.  Gilman,  of  Mary- 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  73 

land,  Mr.  John  A.  Stewart,  of  New  York,  Mr.  Alfred 
H.  Colquitt,  of  Georgia,  the  Reverend  James  P.  Boyce, 
of  Kentucky,  Mr.  William  A.  Slater,  of  Connecticut,  and 
Mr.  Jesup.  Mr.  Jesup  secured  the  necessary  act  of  in- 
corporation from  the  Legislature,  and  the  first  meeting 
of  the  new  board  was  held  in  May,  1883,  at  his  office,  at 
which  time  all  the  members  were  present  except  Mr. 
Dodge  and  Phillips  Brooks,  who  were  so  far  away  at  the 
time  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  attend.  The 
Board  was  duly  organized  by  the  election  of  Chief- Justice 
Waite  as  President,  President  Gilman  as  Secretary,  and 
Mr.  Jesup  as  Treasurer.  The  latter  was  also  made  a 
member  of  the  Finance  Committee. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Board  Mr.  Jesup  gave  a 
dinner  at  his  residence  in  honor  of  Mr.  Slater,  who  had 
been  present  as  an  invited  guest  at  the  first  meeting. 
The  dinner  was  attended,  among  others,  by  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Dix,  the  Reverend  Dr.  Storrs,  the  Reverend  Dr. 
Taylor,  the  Reverend  Dr.  Leonard  W.  Bacon,  the  Hon- 
orable E.  D.  Morgan,  the  Honorable  Carl  Schurz,  the 
Honorable  John  Welch,  the  Honorable  Samuel  E.  Bald- 
win, the  Honorable  T.  Hillhouse,  and  Mr.  William  E. 
Dodge,  Jr.  A  number  of  notable  addresses  were  made, 
of  which,  unfortunately,  no  record  remains. 

In  accordance  with  his  promise,  Mr.  Slater  turned  over 
to  the  Trustees  for  the  purpose  of  the  Fund  five  hun- 
dred Louisville,  New  Orleans  &  Chicago  six-per-cent. 
bonds  of  the  Chicago  &  Indianapolis  division,  and  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  cash.  Mr.  Jesup,  with  the 
advice  of  his  Finance  Committee,  at  once  proceeded  to 
invest  the  balance  of  the  money  in  good  bonds,  and  from 
that  time  until  his  death,  took  the  greatest  pride  and  the 


74  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

greatest  pains  in  the  investing  of  the  fund,  which,  as  a 
result  of  his  management,  amounted  at  the  time  of  his 
death  to  one  million  six  hundred  and  sixty-three  thousand 
dollars,  and  yielded  an  income  of  eighty-seven  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars,  or  over  five  per  cent, 
on  the  money  invested.  At  no  time  during  the  existence 
of  the  fund  has  any  of  its  investments  failed  to  pay  in- 
terest. 

The  principles  which  governed  Mr.  Jesup  in  his  in- 
vestment of  this  fund  show  the  wise  foresight  with  which 
he  anticipated  the  future.  Realizing  that  the  rate  of  in- 
terest to  be  paid  on  securities  would  inevitably  decHne, 
he  advised  the  board  not  to  spend  all  the  annual  income 
of  the  fund,  but  to  use  a  portion  of  it  as  a  sinking-fund, 
so  that  as  the  higher  interest-bearing  bonds  were  paid  off 
and  they  were  obliged  to  substitute  in  place  of  them 
bonds  bearing  a  lower  rate  of  interest  they  would  be 
able  to  preserve  the  original  income  of  the  fund,  namely, 
sixty  thousand  dollars,  intact.  The  wisdom  of  this  policy 
is  shown  by  its  results.  At  Mr.  Jesup's  death,  instead  of 
being  sixty  thousand  dollars,  the  income  of  the  fund  was 
nearly  ninety  thousand  dollars. 

Nor  was  Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  the  fund  simply  on 
the  financial  side.  He  was  an  influential  factor  in  deter- 
mining the  policy  of  the  board  in  matters  of  expenditure. 
He  was  one  of  a  special  committee  of  five  which  at  the  out- 
set was  appointed  with  power  to  carry  out  suggestions 
made  by  the  Secretary,  Dr.  Oilman,  regarding  a  general 
policy,  and,  in  order  to  fit  himself  to  be  an  intelligent 
adviser,  he  made  a  long  tour  through  the  Southern  States, 
an  account  of  which  he  subsequently  gave  to  the  trustees. 
In  1890  an  educational  committee  of  six  was  provided 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  75 

for,  and  Mr.  Jesup  as  treasurer  became  ex  officio  3.  mem- 
ber of  it  and  served  continuously  until  his  death.  Some 
idea  of  the  fidelity  with  which  he  followed  the  work  of 
the  board  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  of  the  thirty- 
eight  meetings  held  from  its  foundation  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  he  was  absent  from  only  four. 

In  the  course  of  his  study  of  the  negro  problem  Mr. 
Jesup  became  convinced  that  the  chief  hope  of  the  South- 
ern negro  at  the  present  time  was  in  industrial  education, 
and  the  policy  which  the  board  later  adopted  of  concen- 
trating their  gifts  along  this  line  met  with  his  hearty 
approval.  The  reasons  which  led  Mr.  Jesup  to  take  this 
position  may  be  learned  from  the  following  letter,  written 
some  years  later,  to  his  friend  Mr.  Alexander  E.  Orr. 
The  latter  had  appealed  to  him  on  behalf  of  a  certain 
institution  for  the  higher  education  of  the  negro  which 
was  not  at  that  time  receiving  help  from  the  Slater  Fund. 
Mr.  Jesup  answered  as  follows: 

Hotel  Brighton,  March  ^ist. 
Dear  Mr.  Orr: 

I  have  your  letter  of  the  27th  and  have  read  with  inter- 
est the  letters  you  enclose.  Having  been  connected  with 
the  Slater  Trust  from  the  beginning  I  am,  of  course, 
familiar  with  all  its  proceedings.  It  has  taken  a  long  time 
to  study  the  question  how  to  use  our  income  in  the  way 
best  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  negro  race.  We  began 
by  aiding  just  such  causes  as  the  one  you  name.  Indeed, 
we  gave  to  this  institution  for  several  years.  Finally, 
after  a  long,  careful  and  painstaking  study  the  trustees 
decided  to  withdraw  their  gifts  from  such  institutions  and 
to  take  up  earnestly  the  industrial  line.  I  think  I  may  say 
that  our  Trust  is  the  father  of  this  side  of  the  work,  which 
I  regard  as  the  best  side  for  the  future  of  the  negro.     It 


76  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

is  through  the  large  aid  which  we  have  extended  to  Hamp- 
ton, Tuskegee,  Claflin  and  Spelman  Institutes  that  these 
are  now  furnishing  such  splendid  object-lessons  to  the 
country.  They  must  be  fostered  and  aided  for  a  few  years 
more  until  they  fairly  stand  erect  without  outside  support. 
My  idea  is  to  carry  out  our  aims  in  other  localities  also. 
We  cannot  do  this  without  large  gifts  to  start  with,  and  I 
do  not  see  how  we  can  keep  up  what  we  have  under- 
taken and  do  much,  if  anything,  for  other  institutions, 
however  meritorious  they  may  appear  to  be.  I  may  say 
that  I  have  carefully  studied  the  whole  question.  I  have 
been  South  almost  every  year  for  the  last  thirty  years.  I 
have  visited  the  institution  you  name.  I  think  I  know 
something  of  it  and  of  others  of  like  nature  in  other 
Southern  cities.  If  we  help  one  we  will  be  urged  to  aid 
others  equally  meritorious. 

Some  time  when  you  have  leisure,  if  you  will  read  over 
the  proceedings  of  the  Slater  Board  and  Dr.  Currie's 
reports  for  years  back,  you  will  see  the  reasons  defined 
for  the  trustees'  present  action  in  confining  their  aid  to 
industrial  lines.  However,  times  change,  and  it  may  be 
that  when  the  fund  has  reached  the  mark  which,  as 
treasurer,  with  the  approval  of  the  trustees,  I  have  fixed 
for  it  so  as  to  make  its  future  stable,  and  we  can  afford  to 
be  more  liberal  and  go  out  on  new  lines,  the  trustees  may 
decide  to  take  up  other  work. 

Excuse  this  long  letter.  I  may  not  have  the  chance  to 
talk  with  you  before  the  meeting  and  I  thought  it  was  due 
to  you  that  I  should  give  you  some  of  the  reasons  why  I 
think  that  at  this  time  there  may  be  objections  to  grant- 
ing what  your  friends  so  much  desire. 

Yours  faithfully, 

Morris  K.  Jesup. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  consistent  in  his  adherence  to  the 
policy  thus  outlined.  He  not  only  influenced  the  giving 
of  the  Boards  on  which  he  was  a  representative,  but  he 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  77 

gave  liberally  himself  to  the  cause  of  industrial  education. 
He  was  one  of  the  chief  donors  to  the  Slater-Armstrong 
Trade  School  at  Hampton,  Virginia,  as  well  as  to  the 
similar  school  opened  three  years  later  at  Tuskegee. 
He  was  influential  in  the  organization  of  the  Southern 
industrial  classes,  a  movement  whose  paramount  object 
was  "the  making  of  home-makers  and  wage-earners, 
equipping  the  negro  woman  to  lead  a  respectable  and 
useful  life  for  her  own  sake  and  for  the  sake  of  her  people 
and  of  the  whole  community."  The  meeting  which  gave 
its  original  impulse  to  this  beneficent  work  was  held  at 
Mr.  Jesup's  home  at  Bar  Harbor  in  1895.  On  his  recom- 
mendation the  Trustees  of  the  Slater  Fund  commissioned 
two  Northern  women  of  high  ability  and  social  standing  to 
visit  the  Southern  field  and  gather  the  information  which 
led  to  this  most  useful  extension  of  the  work  of  the  Board. 

Like  all  the  friends  of  the  negro  race,  Mr.  Jesup  had 
a  high  regard  for  General  Armstrong.  On  April  i,  1892, 
he  writes  to  him  enclosing  a  contribution  for  the  pro- 
posed endowment  at  Hampton,  and  expressing  his  sin- 
cere sympathy  with  him  in  his  "recent  mishap  and  con- 
tinued ill  health.  I  know  how  irksome  it  must  be  to  you, 
with  your  energy  and  love  of  activity,"  he  goes  on,  "to 
be  compelled  by  sickness  to  be  idle  and  to  be  restrained 
thereby  from  taking  your  usual  active  interest  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  Hampton,  an  object  so  dear  to 
your  heart,  and  to  which  for  so  long  a  time  you  have  given 
so  much  thought  and  all  .your  energies.  I  hope,  however, 
you  will  soon  be  restored  to  health  again  and  be  able 
to  resume  your  old  place  at  the  head  of  the  institution." 

This  hope  was  not  destined  to  be  fulfilled.  When, 
four  years  later,  the  Slater-Armstrong  Trade  School  was 


78  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

opened  at  Hampton,  General  Armstrong  had  been  called 
to  higher  service.  His  work,  like  that  of  Mr.  Slater,  was 
left  for  other  hands  to  carry  on.  Mr.  Jesup's  tribute  to 
the  two  friends  with  whom  he  had  so  long  been  associated 
in  the  cause  of  negro  education  deserves  to  be  given  in  full. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  and  Students  of  the  Hamp- 
ton Institute: 

On  my  mind  at  this  moment  are  photographed  the 
faces  of  two  of  the  greatest  friends  the  negro  race  has 
ever  had — the  faces  of  General  Samuel  Chapman  Arm- 
strong and  Mr.  John  F.  Slater.  Well  do  I  remember 
General  Armstrong,  that  magnificent  man,  so  full  of  fire 
and  energy,  enthusiasm  and  magnetism,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  come  into  his  presence  without  being  im- 
pressed by  his  nobility  and  greatness.  Well  do  I  remem- 
ber the  noble  form  of  John  F.  Slater,  who  had  the  in- 
terest of  the  negro  so  deeply  rooted  in  his  heart  and  mind 
— how  he  came  to  my  office  and  told  me  he  was  willing 
to  give  a  million  dollars  in  order  that  the  negro  race 
might  be  uplifted  into  Christian  civilization  and  man- 
hood. So,  with  the  memories  of  these  two  great  men  in  my 
mind,  is  it  wonderful  that  I  feel  interested  in  your  people  ? 

I  have  known  this  race  and  its  history  for  forty  years; 
its  condition  before  the  war  and  up  to  this  hour  in  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  its  changeful  life.  I  now  feel  that  I  can 
see  its  hoped-for  goal.  The  opening  of  these  trade-schools 
puts  the  top  stone  on  the  foundation  for  its  uplifting. 

To  me  there  have  been  many  sides  to  the  question  of 
the  uplifting  of  the  negro.  It  is  a  question  of  sentiment, 
a  question  of  education,  and  a  question  of  industrial  train- 
ing. These  three  factors  were  combined  in  the  mind  and 
carried  out  by  the  effort  of  General  Armstrong,  in  this 
magnificent  institution,  where  we  see  love  and  sentiment 
on  the  one  side,  education  on  another  side,  and  work  and 
the  dignity  of  labor  on  the  third  side. 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  79 

I  wish  I  could  impress  all  the  men  and  women  before 
me  with  my  sense  of  the  dignity  of  honest  labor.  It  is 
the  most  dignified  of  all  possible  occupations.  Men  and 
women  come  here  to  work  for  the  ennobling  of  body  and 
mind.  When  I  was  in  Richmond  yesterday  I  saw  one 
set  of  negroes  lying  around  on  the  street  corners  with 
nothing  to  do.  I  pitied  them.  But  then,  I  saw  a  row  of 
houses  going  up,  and  another  set  of  negroes  were  rearing 
the  walls.  There  was  a  contrast!  I  said  to  myself, 
work  is  from  God.  Get  every  negro  to  feel  the  ^ dignity 
of  honest  toil.  Not  only  is  this  good  for  the  negro  but 
for  the  white  race.  If  I  could  only  see  throughout  this 
country  the  feeling  that  the  dignity  of  life  consists  in  hon- 
est toil  of  hand,  labor  of  mind,  and  upward  looking,  I 
should  feel  that  its  prosperity  was  sure.^ 

Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  the  educational  problem  of  the 
South  was  not  confined  to  the  black  race.  He  sympa- 
thized with  the  movement  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Ogden 
and  other  friends  of  education  in  the  South,  which  led  to 
the  conference  on  Southern  education  which  has  been 
productive  of  such  beneficent  results.  On  the  occasion  of 
the  calling  of  the  first  conference  at  Capon  Springs,  Mr. 
Jesup  proposed  to  his  fellow-trustees  of  the  Slater  Trust 
the  following  resolution: 

**  Resolved,  that  we  regard  with  great  favor  the  pro- 
posed action  having  for  its  object  the  stimulation  of  edu- 
cation among  the  whites  and  blacks  of  the  South,  the 
promotion  of  common  schools,  and  the  work  connected 
therewith,  that  it  has  our  united  and  most  hearty  ap- 
proval, and   that  this   Board,   both   as  trustees  and  in- 

*  "Nothing  irritated  him  more,"  said  a  friend  who  had  travelled  with  him 
in  the  South,  "than  the  sight  of  a  lazy,  oratorical  negro,  and  nothing  pleased 
him  more  or  made  him  laugh  more  heartily  than  the  gambols  and  pranks  of 
the  pickaninnies." 


8o  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

dividuals,  will  give  to  this  new  movement  all  the  support 
and  co-operation  possible." 

On  October  i,  1902,  on  the  motion  of  President  Gil- 
man,  Mr.  Jesup  was  chosen  a  trustee  of  the  Peabody 
Education  Fund  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death 
of  Mr.  Evarts.  Unlike  the  Slater  Board,  which  dealt 
with  negro  education,  the  Peabody  Fund  was  unham- 
pered by  race  restrictions.  Mr.  Jesup's  surviving  col- 
leagues still  remember  the  interest  which  he  brought 
to  this  new  work  during  the  few  years  in  which  it  was  his 
privilege  to  take  part  in  it,  and  the  fidelity  with  which  he 
served  on  the  various  commi^ttees  of  which  he  was  made 
a  member.* 

It  was  only  natural,  then,  that  when  Mr.  John  D.  Rock- 
efeller made  his  great  gift  to  education,  which  resulted 
in  the  formation  of  the  General  Education  Board,  Mr. 
Jesup  should  have  been  one  of  those  to  whom  he  turned 
for  aid  in  the  execution  of  his  trust.  The  preliminary 
meeting  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Board 
was  held  in  his  library.  He  was  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers, not  only  participating  in  its  organization,  but  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  Finance  Committee,  in  which 
capacity  he  rendered  services  of  great  value.  Up  to  the 
time  of  his  last  illness  he  was  an  active  participant  in 
the  affairs  of  the  Board  and  a  regular  attendant  upon 
its  meetings. 

^  In  1903  Mr.  Jesup  was  made  a  member  of  the  Finance  Committee  of  the 
Peabody  Education  Fund.  In  January,  1905,  he  was  one  of  a  special  committee 
to  report  to  the  Board  in  regard  to  the  further  distribution  of  the  Fund.  Fi- 
nally, in  October,  1905,  he  served  as  one  of  a  special  committee  of  three,  who 
received  authority  from  the  Board  to  carry  out  a  certain  policy  which  had  been 
determined  upon  by  them  and,  to  this  end,  to  "select  such  agent  or  agents" 
as  may  be  necessary  "and  to  compensate  him  or  them  for  services  rendered,  the 
work  to  be  carried  on  under  the  co-operation  of  the  general  agent." 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  8i 

I  have  described  Mr.  Jesup's  services  in  the  cause  of 
Southern  education  thus  fully  because  they  illustrate  so 
well  the  qualities  which  he  showed  in  all  his  charitable 
activity.  While  he  gave  widely  he  was  not  an  indiscrimi- 
nate giver.  He  had  regard  to  the  ultimate  effect  of  the 
gift  rather  than  to  its  immediate  consequences,  and  he 
spared  no  effort  in  informing  himself  either  of  the  con- 
ditions to  be  met  or  of  the  most  effective  way  of  meeting 
them.  We  have  seen  that  when  he  became  treasurer  of 
the  Slater  Fund  he  made  a  long  tour  through  the  Southern 
States  in  order  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  conditions, 
and  he  frequently  repeated  the  investigation  in  later  years, 
though  on  a  less  extended  scale.  When  he  made  up  his 
mind  as  to  the  best  policy  to  be  pursued  he  followed  it 
consistently,  and  strong  evidence  was  needed  to  induce 
him  to  modify  his  opinion.  Above  all,  he  was  unweary- 
ing in  his  devotion  to  whatever  he  undertook.  He  never 
abandoned  an  old  cause  for  a  new.  If,  as  occasionally 
happened,  he  resigned  from  some  office  which  he  had 
held,  it  was  not  to  secure  added  leisure  for  himself,  but 
that  he  might  be  free  to  give  more  time  to  similar  work 
elsewhere,  and,  above  all,  because  he  had  assured  him- 
self that  the  cause  would  suffer  no  loss.  In  his  charitable 
arithmetic  the  additions  which  he  was  constantly  making 
were  seldom  balanced  by  corresponding  subtractions. 

Nor  was  it  only  in  connection  with  the  larger  enter- 
prises in  which  he  was  engaged  that  he  showed  this  con- 
scientious devotion.  Each  new  claimant  upon  his  sym- 
pathy received  a  ready  hearing  and  might  be  sure  that 
his  story  would  receive  a  thorough  investigation.  "I  never 
knew  a  man  more  easily  approached,"  said  one  who  knew 
Mr.  Jesup  well,  "or  more  readily  interested  in  any  sub- 


82  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

ject  properly  presented  to  him.  But,  however  interested, 
he  always  asked  time  for  consideration  before  giving  a 
definite  answer.  The  one  phrase  which  I  remember  as 
more  frequently  upon  his  Hps  than  any  other  was,  *I 
must  think  it  over  carefully.'  " 

Another  friend  recalls  a  visit  which  she  paid  with 
Mr.  Jesup  to  a  hospital  to  which  he  had  been  asked  to 
contribute  only  a  year  or  two  before  his  death.  Though 
far  from  well  at  the  time,  he  drove  to  a  distant  quarter 
of  the  city,  interviewed  the  superintendent  and  nurses, 
and  did  not  leave  until  he  had  traversed  the  entire  build- 
ing from  garret  to  cellar  in  order  to  assure  himself  that 
the  conditions  were  in  all  respects  what  they  had  been 
reported  to  him  to  be. 

On  the  rare  occasions  when  his  sympathy  overmas- 
tered him  and  he  yielded  to  his  charitable  impulse  to 
give  money  on  the  spot,  he  took  steps  to  protect  himself 
and  others  from  the  consequences  of  a  possible  indiscre- 
tion, having  his  stenographer  take  careful  notes  of  the  ap- 
plicant's story,  which  could  be  used  for  future  reference  in 
case  later  experience  should  prove  his  judgment  mistaken. 

Mr.  Jesup's  strong  conviction  that  the  wise  adminis- 
tration of  charity  needed  the  constant  check  of  personal 
knowledge  and  sympathy  made  him  distrust  the  wisdom 
of  large  endowments  for  growing  institutions.  In  his 
opinion  the  function  of  an  endowment  was  to  supple- 
ment the  gifts  of  living  men,  not  to  render  them  unneces- 
sary. His  view  of  the  subject  appears  in  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wanamaker,  who  had  writ- 
ten him  in  the  hope  of  securing  his  aid  on  behalf  of  a 
proposed  endowment  for  a  certain  institution  in  which 
they  were  both  interested: 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  83 

"Since  I  saw  you  I  have  had  a  talk  with .    I  see 

no  way  to  accomplish  anything  toward  the  endowment 

fund   but  for  a   few  of  Mr.  's  old   friends  to  start 

off  with  subscriptions.     I   told  I  was  not  so  sure 

of  the  wisdom  of  securing  an  endowment  beyond  what 
was  sufficient  to  supplement  yearly  gifts.  I  believe  in 
personal  continued  requests  for  gifts,  thereby  keeping 
the  great  world  in  sympathy  with  the  works  of  love  and 
benevolence.  I  never  yet  knew  a  completely  endowed 
institution  or  church  amount  to  much  in  effective  work. 
Charity  needs  a  constant  living  stream  running  every 
day." 

When  Mr.  Jesup  himself  contributed  to  the  perma- 
nent funds  of  any  institution  he  was  careful  to  specify 
in  detail  the  uses  to  which  he  wished  his  contribution  to 
be  put.  He  had  been  so  long  in  the  habit  of  making 
his  own  investigations  and  coming  to  his  own  decisions 
that  it  was  not  easy  for  him  to  trust  the  discretion  of 
others,  and  he  took  exceptional  pains  before  committing 
his  gift  to  the  fortunes  of  the  unknown  future,  to  see 
that  every  precaution  had  been  taken  to  prevent  its  being 
diverted  from  the  purpose  he  intended  it  to  serve. 

Holding  these  views,  it  is  not  strange  that  Mr.  Jesup 
should  have  looked  with  disfavor  upon  the  effort  made  by 
the  State  Board  of  Charities  in  1896  to  secure  legislation 
subjecting  all  the  private  charities  of  New  York  to  their 
authority.  The  movement,  which  was  animated  by  the 
best  of  motives  and  designed  to  remedy  real  abuses,  was 
ill-advised  because  of  its  failure  to  discriminate  between 
the  different  kinds  of  charities  involved.  It  was  vehe- 
mently opposed  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  interested 
in  charitable  affairs,  and,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr. 


84  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

Elbrldge  T.  Gerry,  alternative  legislation  was  proposed 
which  would  in  effect  have  exempted  private  charities 
altogether  from  State  supervision.  Mr.  Jesup,  who  was 
indignant  at  what  he  believed  an  unwarrantable  attempt 
to  interfere  with  the  private  initiative  which  he  rated  so 
highly,  was  active  in  this  movement.  In  company  with 
Mr.  Morgan,  Mr.  Schiff,  and  others  he  prepared  a  letter 
to  Governor  Roosevelt  strongly  urging  his  support  of  the 
bill  they  had  prepared,  and  an  active  correspondence 
followed  which  continued  for  some  weeks,  in  the  course 
of  which  the  whole  subject  was  carefully  canvassed  from 
every  point  of  view.  As  a  result  of  this  discussion,  Mr. 
Jesup  was  led  to  modify  his  views  and  to  consent  to  such 
revision  of  the  proposed  draught  as  would  provide  for  a 
reasonable  amount  of  State  supervision.  Unfortunately, 
others  who  were  active  in  the  movement  were  not  so  open 
to  conviction,  and,  as  a  result  of  their  opposition,  the 
compromise  plan  was  ultimately  defeated  and  the  State 
legislation  on  the  subject  of  charities  left,  as  it  remains 
to-day,  in  an  unsatisfactory  condition. 

Speaking  of  Mr.  Jesup's  charities,  one  who  often  had 
occasion  to  approach  him  with  requests  for  help  said: 
"I  must  confess  that  I  never  saw  a  hand  held  out  more 
cordially  and  with  a  sunnier  smile  in  giving  than  Mr. 
Jesup's."  This  generous  spirit  was  not  won  without 
self-discipline.  To  a  friend  with  whom  he  was  speak- 
ing about  the  deeper  things  of  life  he  once  said:  "It 
costs  people  a  good  deal  of  effort  to  give  away  money, 
so  that  self-conquest  cannot  begin  too  early."  His  own 
experience  in  the  manner  of  giving  he  summed  up  in  the 
following  words:  ''Regarding  Mr.  Grosvenor's  advice 
to  begin  early  and  give  away  my  money,  I  will  say  that  I 


THE  PHILANTHROPIST  85 

have  followed  it,  and  that  giving  has  become  a  fixed 
habit  of  my  life.  I  have  tried  always  to  give  with  under- 
standing and  a  fair  mind,  not  as  a  mechanical  matter, 
but  with  sympathy,  honesty  of  purpose,  and  with  my 
gift,  as  far  as  possible,  myself.  Giving  wisely  and  with 
the  heart  is  a  God-blessed  gift,  bringing  with  it  always 
a  return  of  joy  and  peace.  I  want  to  say  here  for  the 
benefit  of  others,  not  that  they  should  adopt  the  principle 
in  a  selfish  way,  that  giving  does  not  impoverish  but 
rather  adds  to  one's  store.  Each  year  I  have  found  that 
my  property  has  increased  in  value  and  in  quantity, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  oftentimes  my  giving  has 
been  much  larger  than  my  income,  after  deducting  family 
and  personal  expenses.  If  men  of  property  could  only 
realize  the  return  not  only  of  joy  and  peace,  but  of  love 
and  blessing  that  the  giving  of  one's  means  bestows, 
I  feel  sure  that  the  world  would  find  itself  bettered  and 
ennobled  by  the  lives  of  many  who  now  seem  to  live 
only  to  add  to  life's  troubles  and  sorrows.  Giving  should 
be  a  habit  with  all  Christian  men  and  women,  as  much 
as  praying  or  eating.  With  the  habit  thus  formed  life 
can  be  made  happy,  dignified,  and  joyous." 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  CHURCHMAN 

"/^IVING  should  be  a  habit  with  all  Christian  men 
^-^  and  women  as  much  as  praying  or  eating." 
In  these  words  Mr.  Jesup  gives  us  an  insight  into  the 
secret  spring  of  his  activity.  He  was  too  good  a  Prot- 
estant to  draw  any  hard  and  fast  line  between  the  re- 
ligious and  the  secular,  and  would  have  regarded  his 
work  for  clean  streets  or  good  schools  as  quite  as  Chris- 
tian as  his  contribution  to  home  or  foreign  missions. 
Nevertheless,  the  distinction  between  the  broader  philan- 
thropies, in  which  men  of  all  creeds  and  of  none  can 
unite,  and  the  special  enterprises  carried  on  by  the  Chris- 
tian church  and  under  her  control,  is  a  useful  one,  and 
we  shall  find  it  convenient  to  follow  it  in  the  grouping  of 
the  present  chapter. 

As  a  boy  Mr.  Jesup  attended  the  Congregational 
church  of  Westport,  of  which  his  parents  were  members. 
On  his  mother's  removal  to  New  York  the  family  at- 
tended the  Congregational  church  in  Fifteenth  Street, 
of  which  Dr.  Cheever  was  pastor,  then  located  on  the 
site  formerly  occupied  by  Tiffany's.  After  his  marriage 
with   Miss   De   Witt   Mr.    Jesup   attended   the   Marble 

86 


THE  CHURCHMAN  87 

Collegiate  Church  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Twenty-ninth  Street.  When  Dr.  John  Hall  came  to 
this  country  to  begin  his  remarkable  ministry,  Mr.  Jesup 
was  one  of  a  large  group  of  cultivated  and  intelligent 
people  who  were  attracted  by  his  personality,  and  he 
and  Mrs.  Jesup  passed  by  an  easy  transition  into  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  remained  a  member  of  Dr. 
Hall's  church  for  many  years,  worshipping  first  at  the 
old  site  at  Nineteenth  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  and  after- 
ward in  the  new  and  more  spacious  edifice  on  upper 
Fifth  Avenue.  Later  he  transferred  his  membership  to 
the  Brick  Church,  of  which  he  became  a  trustee,  an  office 
which  he  continued  to  hold  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Jesup  joined  the  church  under  Dr.  Cheever's 
ministry.  There  is  no  mention  in  his  autobiography  of 
any  sudden  crisis  in  his  religious  life,  so  it  seems  most 
natural  to  suppose  that,  like  many  other  boys  who  had 
grown  up  under  the  influence  of  Christian  nurture,  he  had 
begun  to  live  a  religious  life  from  his  earliest  childhood 
and  that  his  public  confession  of  Christ  was  only  the  open 
registry  of  a  purpose  which  he  had  long  cherished. 

All  his  life  long  Mr.  Jesup  was  a  firm  believer  in  inr- 
stitutional  religion.  While  heartily  in  sympathy  with  all 
philanthropic  and  charitable  movements  which  had  for 
their  aim  the  betterment  of  society,  he  did  not  believe  that 
any  other  organization  could  take  the  place  of  the  church 
of  Christ.  He  looked  with  concern  upon  the  growing 
alienation  of  the  working  men  from  organized  Christian- 
ity, and  was  grieved  at  any  action  on  the  part  of  those 
responsible  for  ecclesiastical  policy  which  could  give 
color  to  the  reproach  that  the  church  was  a  class  institu- 
tion.    He  had  no  sympathy  with  the  disposition  mani- 


SS  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

fested  by  so  many  churches  to  follow  the  course  of  wealth 
and  of  fashion  and  leave  the  lower  and  less-favored  sec- 
tions of  tlie  city  to  be  cared  for  by  the  revival  hall  or 
the  mission  chapel.  When  the  congregation  of  Dr.  John 
Hall's  church  decided  to  leave  their  position  on  Nine- 
teenth Street  and  move  to  their  present  site  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  Mr.  Jesup  was  at  first  opposed  to  the  plan,  and 
one  of  his  friends  still  remembers  the  energy  with  which, 
when  the  project  was  discussed  in  his  hearing,  he  brought 
his  fist  down  upon  the  table  and  declared  that  if  this 
action  were  taken  no  dollar  of  his  should  ever  go  into 
the  new  building.  Mr.  Jesup  afterward  modified  his 
views  as  to  the  wisdom  of  this  particular  removal,  and 
many  of  his  dollars  found  their  way  into  the  new  building, 
but  he  never  wavered  in  his  adherence  to  the  convictions 
which  prompted  his  first  opposition  to  the  plan.  The 
more  needy  the  district,  the  greater  he  believed  was 
the  need  of  the  church.  When  the  Old  First,  the  Mother 
Church  of  New  York  Presbyterianism,  threatened  by 
the  changes  which  were  rapidly  altering  the  character 
of  its  environment,  was  obliged  to  appeal  for  help,  Mr. 
Jesup  subscribed  to  a  working  fund  designed  to  maintain 
it  on  its  present  site  and  to  adapt  it  to  the  new  conditions. 
When  a  proposal  was  made  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Brick 
Church  to  sell  their  land  and  building,  Mr.  Jesup  op- 
posed its  acceptance,  although  the  sum  was  very  large 
and  the  offer  a  tempting  one.  Before  the  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  which  had  been  called  to  decide  upon 
the  answer  to  be  given,  Mr.  Jesup  consulted  Dr.  Richards, 
the  Pastor  of  the  church,  as  to  the  tone  which  he  thought 
the  answer  ought  to  take.  The  latter  replied  that  he 
thought  it  would  be  well  for  the  Trustees  to  make  it  evi- 


THE  CHURCHMAN  89 

dent  that  the  property  was  not  for  sale  at  any  price. 
Mr.  Jesup  answered  that  that  was  his  own  opinion;  and 
then  went  on,  "in  that  tone  of  suppressed  excitement  that 
was  common  with  him  in  discussing  such  questions,  to 
say  that  the  people  of  this  city  must  be  made  to  under- 
stand that  there  were  more  important  interests  than  those 
of  business,  and  that  where  any  piece  of  land  was  really 
needed  for  these  higher  interests  of  morality  and  religion, 
it  was  out  of  the  question  that  it  should  be  surrendered 
for  any  financial  consideration." 

Mr.  Jesup's  views  of  the  function  of  the  church  in  the 
life  of  the  city  found  forceful  expression  in  an  address 
which  he  delivered  at  the  Old  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
on  December  3,  1904,  the  decennial  anniversary  of  the 
pastorate  of  Dr.  Howard  Duffield.  His  subject  was  the 
importance  of  the  downtown  church.  After  calling  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  the  character  of  New  York  had 
changed  but  little  from  below  Fourteenth  Street  to  the 
north  side  of  Washington  Square,  a  fact  which  he  attrib- 
uted largely  to  the  influence  of  the  group  of  churches, 
like  Grace  Church,  the  University  Place  Church,  the 
Church  of  the  Ascension,  and  the  Old  First,  which  still 
remained  with  their  beautiful  architecture  and  dignified 
appearance  to  give  tone  to  the  neighborhood,  he  went 
on  as  follows:  "We  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  East  Side.  Do  you  suppose,  my  friends,  that 
that  wickedness  would  be  what  it  is  to-day  if  the  churches 
which  once  stood  on  Grand  Street  and  Broome  Street 
and  East  Broadway  and  Henry  Street  and  all  those  streets 
still  remained  as  beacon  lights  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.? 
No,  it  is  the  removal  of  the  downtown  church  that  has 
brought  about  in  great  measure  the  difficulties  from  which 
the  city  now  suffers."    He  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 


90  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

whereas  in  the  last  thirty  years  the  population  of  New- 
York  below  Fourteenth  Street  had  increased  from  five 
hundred  thousand  to  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  in 
the  same  period  of  time  there  had  been  removed  from 
the  lower  part  of  the  city  over  fifty  churches  and  missions, 
while  no  new  ones  had  taken  their  places.  He  expressed 
the  hope  that  the  group  of  churches  to  which  he  had  al- 
ready referred  would  continue  to  resist  the  pressure  upon 
them  and  would  remain  as  long  as  the  city  lasted  to  carry 
on  their  beneficent  work  upon  their  present  sites.  He 
recognized  that  this  could  only  be  possible  through  an 
endowment,  and  thus  expressed  his  views  of  the  relation 
of  the  endowed  church  to  the  population  among  whom 
it  was  working.  "How  are  these  churches  to  be  sus- 
tained .?  If  the  wealth  goes  away  what  is  to  take  its 
place  ?  Character  is  still  here,  the  people  are  still  here, 
but  they  have  not  the  means.  What  is  to  be  done .?  Of 
course  the  churches  must  be  endowed,  but  we  do  not 
wish  them  endowed  in  such  a  way  as  to  pauperize  the 
people.  There  is  nothing  like  giving  from  the  living 
hand.  I  feel  that  giving  is  as  important  a  part  of  a  church 
service  as  reading  the  Scriptures,  or  preaching,  or  sing- 
ing, and  I  am  glad  to  see  that  throughout  this  city  there 
is  more  decorum  and  more  sacrament  in  giving  than 
ever  before.  But,  while  the  people  who  live  here  give  of 
their  means,  they  cannot  give  enough  to  support  a  church 
like  this.  It  must  have  an  endowment  sufficient  to  assure 
an  adequate  income  to  send  out  from  this  centre  the  in- 
fluence of  consecrated  men  and  consecrated  women, 
unselfishly  carrying  to  the  homes  and  the  hearts  of  the 
people  the  blessing  of  Jesus'  love." 

The  conviction  that  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich  needed 
the  best  that  the  church  had  to  give  determined   Mr. 


t 


THE  CHURCHMAN  91 

Jesup's  policy  as  President  of  the  City  Mission  and  Tract 
Society,  and  found  substantial  expression  in  his  gift  to 
the  Society  of  the  De  Witt  Memorial  Church. 

Mr.  Jesup  became  interested  in  the  New  York  City 
Mission  through  his  father-in-law,  Dr.  De  Witt,  who  at 
the  time  of  Mr.  Jesup's  marriage  was  its  president.  The 
history  of  the  Society  goes  back  more  than  eighty  years. 
On  the  19th  of  February,  1827,  ^  g^^^P  ^^  laymen  formed 
an  organization  known  as  the  New  York  City  Tract  Society 
for  the  purpose  of  distributing  religious  literature  through 
the  tenements  of  the  city,  then  the  scene  of  destitution 
and  wretchedness  greater  than  anything  we  know  to-day. 
The  Society  was  the  offshoot  of  the  American  Tract 
Society,  which  had  been  founded  two  years  before,  and 
had  for  its  first  purpose  simply  the  distribution  of  tracts. 
Little  by  little  the  work  of  the  Society  broadened.  Prayer- 
meetings  were  held  from  room  to  room,  space  being 
secured  in  some  cases  by  taking  down  the  intervening 
partition  wall.  When  volunteer  service  proved  ineffective, 
lay  missionaries  were  employed  who  gave  their  whole 
time  to  the  work,  and  they,  in  turn,  were  succeeded,  as 
conversions  began  to  multiply,  by  ordained  evangelists. 
In  1866  the  work  was  put  under  the  charge  of  a  paid 
superintendent,  and  mission  halls  secured,  where  regular 
services  were  held.  Two  years  later  the  Second  Street 
Presbyterian  Church  turned  over  to  the  Society  its  ceme- 
tery between  First  and  Second  Avenues,  and  upon  this 
site,  over  the  undisturbed  graves.  Olivet,  the  first  of  the 
City  Mission  churches,  was  opened.*  In  1870  it  was 
decided  to  administer  the  sacraments  to  the  congrega- 

^  When,  later,  the  church  was  rebuilt,  the  graves  were  removed.  It  is  a  sig- 
nificant fact  that  when  the  removal  took  place,  no  claimant  was  found  for  any 
of  the  bodies. 


92  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

tions  which  the  missionaries  were  beginning  to  assemble, 
and  to  organize  them  into  churches  on  an  undenomina- 
tional basis.  This  policy  led  to  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Baptists  and  the  Episcopalians,  who  had  hitherto  sup- 
ported the  work,  and  the  date  of  this  withdrawal,  1870, 
may  be  taken  as  marking  the  dividing  line  between  the 
earlier  history  of  the  Society,  when  it  was  chiefly  an 
organization  for  distributing  tracts,  and  the  later  period 
with  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  particularly  identified,  and 
which  is  characterized  by  the  effort  to  provide  well- 
appointed  church  homes  for  self-respecting  congrega- 
tions living  in  the  more  destitute  portions  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Jesup's  connection  with  the  Society  began  in  1865 
when  he  became  a  trustee.  The  next  year  he  was  chosen 
treasurer.  In  1876  he  was  elected  vice-president,  and  in 
1 88 1,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  A.  R.  Wetmore,  he  became 
president.  He  served  for  twenty-two  years,  resigning  in 
1903,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Schauffler,  its  super- 
intendent since  1887,  whom  he  had  introduced  to  the  work 
and  with  whom  he  had  been  intimately  associated  in  it 
ever  since. 

I  owe  to  Mr.  Elsing,  for  many  years  the  pastor  of 
the  De  Witt  Memorial  Church,  the  following  informa- 
tion as  to  Mr.  Jesup's  connection  with  this  phase  of  the 
work.  For  many  years  he  had  been  interested  in  the 
work  of  Lebanon  Chapel  in  Columbia  Street,  then  under 
the  care  of  the  New  York  City  Mission,  and  had  given 
freely  to  it  of  his  time,  money,  and  strength.  The 
neighborhood  was  thickly  settled  and  the  chapel  soon 
proved  too  small  for  the  growing  needs  of  the  work.  But 
the  growth  of  the  population  did  not  involve  a  corre- 
sponding  increase  in  financial  strength.     As   the   small 


THE  CHURCHMAN  93 

houses  which  used  to  line  the  streets  were  torn  down 
large  six-story  tenements  took  their  place,  and  the  popu- 
lation, while  increasing  in  numbers,  altered  in  character. 
The  situation  was  one  with  which  New  Yorkers  are  only 
too  familiar  and  the  problem  one  which  had  not  yet  been 
solved  in  an  effective  way. 

Mr.  Jesup  recognized  the  strategic  importance  of  the 
locality.  He  realized  that  in  a  few  years  nearly  all  the 
remaining  churches  would  be  compelled  to  leave  the 
lower  portion  of  Manhattan,  and  he  determined  that  in 
this  one  case  the  usual  order  should  be  reversed,  and  that 
instead  of  the  church  giving  place  to  the  chapel,  the  chapel 
should  be  replaced  by  the  church. 

He  accordingly  commissioned  Dr.  James  Marshall,  then 
pastor  of  the  Lebanon  Chapel,  to  find  a  suitable  site 
for  the  new  church  which  he  proposed  to  erect.  After  a 
careful  search  a  row  of  two-story  houses  was  found  on 
Rivington  Street,  between  Columbia  and  Cannon  Streets, 
which,  being  too  small  to  be  profitable  to  the  landlords, 
Mr.  Jesup  secured  at  a  reasonable  price.  Plans  for  the 
new  building  were  prepared  by  Mr.  Cleveland  Cady, 
which  embodied  the  result  of  a  careful  study  of  every 
well-appointed  chapel  and  working  church  in  and  near 
New  York.  The  work  of  construction  was  pushed  rapidly 
forward,  and  in  May,  1881,  the  new  church  was  dedi- 
cated with  appropriate  ceremonies  and  received  the  name 
De  Witt  Memorial,  in  honor  of  Dr.  Thomas  De  Witt, 
Mr.  Jesup's  father-in-law,  the  former  president  of  the  City 
Mission  Society. 

The  new  church  was  in  striking  contrast  to  the  poorly 
ventilated  dingy  chapel  in  Columbia  Street.  One  of  its 
noticeable   features   was   the   separation   of  the    church 


94  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

proper  from  the  Sunday-school  room.  Mr.  Jesup,  who 
had  a  strong  sense  of  reverence,  believed  that  the  church 
auditorium  should  be  used  exclusively  for  worship,  and 
for  this  reason  had  provided  a  special  audience-room, 
which  could  not  only  accommodate  the  Sunday-school, 
but  the  various  lectures,  entertainments,  and  social  gath- 
erings which  are  necessary  in  any  effective  church  for 
the  working  people.  In  the  centre  of  the  Sunday-school 
room  was  a  fountain  adorned  with  aquatic  plants  and 
goldfish,  which  had  a  wonderful  fascination  for  the 
children.  In  the  same  room  there  was  a  large  fireplace 
where  a  generous  fire  was  always  burning  during  the 
winter  sessions  of  the  school.  The  church  was  further 
provided  with  an  attractive  parlor,  an  infant-class-  and 
Bible  class-rooms,  and  a  series  of  sliding  doors  between 
the  Sunday-school  and  the  church  auditorium  made  pro- 
vision for  the  accommodation  of  a  large  congregation  on 
exceptional  occasions.^ 

Mr.  Jesup  was  not  only  interested  in  building  the 
church;  he  took  pains  to  see  that  it  was  properly  manned. 
When  Dr.  Marshall,  the  first  pastor,  received  a  call  to 
the  presidency  of  a  Western  college,  he  interested  himself 
in  the  choice  of  a  successor.  He  had  been  favorably 
impressed  with  what  he  had  heard  of  one  of  his  nephew's 
classmates,  W.  M.  Elsing  by  name,  then  a  Senior  in 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  and  invited  him  to  spend 

^  Mr.  Jesup's  benefactions  to  De  Witt  did  not  cease  with  the  gift  of  the  church 
building.  When  Mr.  Elsing  became  pastor  he  bought  the  property  just  east  of 
the  church  and  erected  a  parsonage  there.  He  also  built  a  new  building  in  the 
rear  of  the  church  which  was  greatly  needed  for  the  growing  work,  and  one  of 
his  last  gifts  was  of  the  house  at  288  Rivington  Street,  on  the  corner  of  Riving- 
ton  and  Cannon  Streets,  a  property  which  brings  in  a  good  yearly  rental,  which 
is  used  to  keep  the  church  in  repair  and  to  provide  for  part  of  the  running  ex- 
penses. 


THE  CHURCHMAN  95 

Sunday  with  him  in  New  York  and  look  over  the  situa- 
tion. "I  shall  never  forget/'  writes  Mr.  Elsing,  "the 
memorable  hours  spent  with  Mr.  Jesup  going  through  the 
crowded  tenement  section  on  the  East  Side.  In  those 
days  horses  were  often  stabled  in  cellars  or  in  barns 
located  in  the  rear  of  the  crowded  tenements.  The  streets 
were  as  full  of  wagons  and  trucks  then  as  they  are  of 
push-carts  now.  All  these  things  Mr.  Jesup  pointed  out 
to  me  and  said:  *I  want  you  to  notice  that  all  the  people 
of  this  region  are  self-respecting  working  people,  the 
very  best  class  among  which  to  build  up  a  large  and 
strong  church.' "  After  careful  consideration  Mr.  Elsing 
accepted  the  call,  and  during  the  twenty-five  years  of 
his  pastorate  found  in  Mr.  Jesup  **a  true  and  loyal 
friend."  The  latter  was  a  frequent  attendant  at  the  ser- 
vices, and  Mr.  Elsing  still  recalls  the  deep  feeling  with 
which  he  would  often  say,  as  he  grasped  his  hand  at 
parting,  "I  have  received  a  rich  dividend  on  my  invest- 
ment to-day." 

The  same  spirit  which  led  Mr.  Jesup  to  interest  him- 
self in  the  work  of  the  downtown  church  made  him  an 
active  supporter  of  the  missionary  work  of  the  church 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  Through  his  father  he  had 
been  interested  in  the  work  of  the  American  Sunday- 
school  Union,  an  undenominational  society  which  did 
pioneer  work  in  the  unsettled  portions  of  the  country, 
sending  its  missionaries  into  districts  where  the  church 
had  not  yet  penetrated  and  gathering  the  children  into 
schools  which,  in  many  cases,  later  developed  into  self- 
supporting  churches.  Mr.  Charles  Jesup,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  had  contributed  to  the  support  of  a  mis- 
sionary  in   Virginia   and   was   planning   more   generous 


96  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

gifts  when  his  purpose  was  interrupted  by  his  prema- 
ture death.  The  son  continued  his  father's  interest.  He 
believed  in  the  Society,  as  he  himself  said,  because  it 
was  at  once  catholic  and  evangelical.  In  1886  he  be- 
came its  Vice-President  and  ten  years  later,  after  careful 
consideration,  accepted  election  to  the  presidency,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  held  until  his  death.  While  his  admin- 
istration was  characterized  by  no  change  of  policy,  it  is 
worthy  of  remark,  as  illustrating  his  interest  in  the  more 
personal  aspects  of  the  work,  that  each  Christmas  after 
he  was  President  witnessed  the  arrival,  at  the  treasury  of 
the  Society,  of  a  check  for  a  thousand  dollars  to  be  used 
in  Christmas  gifts  to  the  missionaries  on  the  field. 

Mr.  Jesup's  correspondence  shows  that  his  missionary 
interest  was  not  confined  to  this  country.  A  letter  from 
Dr.  Hepburn,  the  veteran  missionary  to  Japan,  written 
in  1892,  expresses  gratitude  for  a  liberal  contribution  to 
the  building  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Yokohama,  and 
encloses  a  long  letter  from  the  pastor  and  elders  giving 
an  account  of  the  dedication  ceremony  and  describing 
in  detail  "the  excellence  and  beauty"  of  the  building. 
In  1908  Dr.  Arthur  Brown  writes  to  thank  Mr.  Jesup  for 
a  gift  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  at  Peking,  China.  But  the  cause  which  most 
deeply  interested  him,  and  into  which  he  put  most  of 
himself,  was  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  at  Beirut, 
of  which  he  became  a  trustee  in  1884,  and  president  in 
1896. 

The  work  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  is  so  well 
known  that  it  needs  no  lengthy  description  here.  It  is 
one  of  the  institutions,  like  Robert  College,  in  Constan- 
tinople,  which   have   stamped  their  character  upon  the 


THE  CHURCHMAN  97 

habits  of  a  people  and  whose  influence  extends  far  be- 
yond the  individuals  whose  lives  it  has  been  able  to  touch 
at  first  hand.  At  first  begun  as  a  denominational  school 
under  the  American  Board,  it  was  later  incorporated 
under  a  separate  Board  of  Trustees  and  has  ever  since 
carried  on  its  work  as  an  undenominational  institution. 
Thoroughly  evangelical  in  character  and  in  hearty  sym- 
pathy with  the  missionary  work  of  the  Boards,  it  has  yet 
conceived  its  task  in  the  broader  spirit  characteristic  of 
the  more  modern  missionary  movement,  and  extends  its 
privileges  without  discrimination  to  students  of  all  races 
and  of  all  religions.  Its  medical  school  sends  its  grad- 
uates all  over  the  Orient,  and  patients  come  from  dis- 
tances as  great  as  Cairo  to  be  operated  upon  within  its 
walls.  Its  faculty,  constantly  recruited  by  young  blood 
from  the  United  States,  compares  favorably  in  ability  and 
attainments  with  that  of  the  best  institutions  at  home. 
Possessing  a  situation  of  unrivalled  beauty,  secured 
through  the  statesman-like  policy  of  its  first  president. 
Dr.  Bliss,  with  its  ample  campus  looking  out  over  the 
blue  Mediterranean  and  commanding  a  view  of  snow- 
capped Lebanon  in  the  distance,  it  is  a  spot  which  those 
who  have  once  visited  it  will  never  forget. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  one  of  the  first  subscribers  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  this  college,  and  for  more  than  forty  years 
he  was  its  constant  supporter.  His  gifts  grew  in  num- 
ber and  magnitude  until  they  culminated  in  the  erection 
and  endowment  of  the  noble  hospitals  now  included 
under  the  Maria  De  Witt  Jesup  Foundation.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1884,  he  became  a  trustee,  and  twelve  years  later 
was  elected  president,  a  position  which  he  held  until 
his  death. 


98  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

"  By  the  very  nature  of  its  work,"  writes  Dr.  Howard 
Bliss,  the  present  President,  "the  college  made  a  pecul- 
iarly strong  appeal  to  Mr.  Jesup.  Its  founders  and  earliest 
supporters,  Messrs.  W.  E.  Dodge,  Sr.,  Wm.  E.  Dodge, 
Jr.,  and  Rev.  D.  S.  Dodge,  D.D.,  were  his  warm  and 
devoted  friends.  One  of  its  foremost  professors.  Rev. 
George  E.  Post,  M.D.,  he  had  known  and  loved  from 
boyhood.  He  thus  had  confidence  in  those  who  stood 
sponsor  for  it,  and  it  was  characteristic  of  Mr.  Jesup 
to  lend  a  hand  to  all  enterprises  in  which  his  close  friends 
were  interested.  He  learned  to  love  *the  Syrian  Col- 
lege,' as  he  always  termed  it,  for  its  own  sake.  It  ap- 
pealed to  him  because  it  was  founded  for  the  purpose  of 
extending  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  hearts  of 
young  men  who  were  destined  to  become  leaders  of  their 
people.  It  appealed  to  him  because  the  College  sought 
to  promote  this  Kingdom  in  connection  with  the  advance- 
ment of  learning.  And  it  appealed  to  him  because  the 
institution,  while  absolutely  Christian,  was  absolutely 
unsectarian. 

"He  always  spoke  of  it  with  that  rich,  affectionate 
turn  of  the  voice  which  those  who  knew  him  always  loved 
to  hear.  He  never  visited  Syria.  But  he  clearly  saw  that 
the  College  had  an  unmatched  opportunity  to  train  the 
leaders  of  the  near  East.  And  this  caught  his  imagi- 
nation. With  his  own  eyes  he  seemed  to  see  the  noble 
campus  of  forty  acres  rising  from  the  Mediterranean 
shores  in  the  most  conspicuous  and  picturesque  quarter 
of  the  city  of  Beirut.  He  seemed  to  know  each  one  of 
the  fourteen  substantial  stone  buildings  scattered  over 
the  charming  grounds  in  far-away  Syria,  not  because  his 
money  had  helped  to  build  so  many  of  them,  but  because 


THE  CHURCHMAN  99 

of  his  characteristic  habit  of  seeking  to  know  thoroughly 
the  details  as  well  as  the  general  features  of  the  enter- 
prises in  which  he  was  interested.  He  never  seemed  to 
tire  of  hearing  of  the  progress  which  the  College  was 
making,  of  the  success  of  its  graduates,  of  their  loyal 
devotion  to  their  Alma  Mater,  of  plans  for  enlargement. 
He  boldly  and  firmly  grasped  the  meaning  of  this  edu- 
cational missionary  enterprise  in  its  relationship  to  the 
progress  of  the  Ottoman  Empire  and  the  near  East.  He 
had  no  difficulty  in  seeing  that  you  cannot  gather  to- 
gether eight  or  nine  hundred  young  men  from  two  hun- 
dred different  cities,  towns,  and  villages  of  the  Empire, 
representing  all  the  races  and  all  the  religions  of  the 
near  East  and  subject  them  to  the  intellectual,  social, 
and  religious  influence  of  sixty  professors  and  instructors 
for  a  period  of  one  year,  five  years,  ten  years,  without 
profoundly  affecting  their  inward  lives,  however  few 
announce  a  change  in  their  sectarian  designations.  For 
sectarian  designations,  indeed,  whether  in  Asia  or  in 
America,  Mr.  Jesup  cared  very  little.  He  was  much 
more  deeply  concerned  with  the  progress  of  the  great 
Church  of  the  Living  God  than  with  the  prosperity  of 
individual  churches.  Mr.  Jesup  was  especially  interested 
in  the  record  which  the  graduates  of  the  College  are 
making  as  enlightening  and  uplifting  forces  in  the  com- 
munities and  districts  in  which  they  are  working  as 
physicians,  teachers,  preachers,  lawyers,  journalists,  or 
business  men.  So  fully  acquainted  was  he  himself  with 
the  history  and  the  achievements  of  this  Syrian  College 
and  similar  missionary  institutions  that  he  blazed  with 
indignation  when,  through  ignorance  or  superficiality, 
men  spoke  lightly  of  their  influence. 


loo  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

'*  *It  seems  strange  to  me,'  he  wrote  just  a  month  before 
his  death,  'that  when  people  speak  of  great  institutions 
Hke  the  Syrian  Protestant  College,  they  do  not  have  the 
highest  place  in  their  estimation/ 

"Mr.  Jesup  did  not  believe  that  it  was  the  function 
of  a  college  president  to  raise  money  for  the  support 
of  the  college.  He  considered  that  this  work  was  the 
business  of  the  trustees,  and  I  well  remember  how  full 
of  indignation  he  was  when  some  one,  in  speaking  of  the 
merits  of  a  candidate  for  the  presidency  of  a  prominent 
New  England  college,  asked  Mr.  Jesup's  opinion  as  to 

the  capacity  of  the  Rev.  Dr. as  a  money-getter.    Mr. 

Jesup  regarded  the  question  almost  as  an  insult.  His 
reply,  curt  and  wrathful,  was  to  the  effect  that  the  only 
true  standard  by  which  to  judge  the  fitness  of  a  college 
president  was  his  capacity  to  inspire  his  Faculty  and  his 
students  with  high  intellectual  and  spiritual  ideals. 

"While  Mr.  Jesup  was  always  interested  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  College  as  a  whole,  it  was  the 
medical  branch  of  the  work  to  which  he  gave  his  especial 
care.  With  characteristic  vigor  and  sagacity  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  extension  of  the  clinical  facilities  of  this 
department.  It  was  doubtless  his  warm  admiration  of 
Dr.  George  E.  Post,  Professor  of  Surgery,  that  especially 
stimulated  his  interest  in  this  direction.  In  honor  of  his 
wife  he  named  his  generous  gift  *The  Maria  De  Witt 
Jesup  Foundation.'  Upon  an  admirable  site  two  beau- 
tiful buildings  have  been  erected — a  Woman's  Pavilion, 
and  a  Children's  Pavilion.  Provision  has  been  made  for 
the  Training  School  for  Nurses.  A  Gate  House  and  a 
Mortuary  have  also  been  built  and  an  Endowment 
Fund  has  been  created.    The  blessings  which  flow  from 


THE  CHURCHMAN  loi 

this  noble  gift  to  students  and  to  patients  are  inc^lQU^ 
lable/'^  ..   .  \i.Ji    \>l\ 

Through  his  connection  with  the  Syrian  College  Mr. 
Jesup  was  led  to  interest  himself  in  the  wider  questions 
raised  by  the  presence  of  our  missionaries  in  the  East. 
In  common  with  many  other  American  citizens  he  was 
concerned  at  the  unjust  discrimination  brought  against 
our  missionaries  by  the  Porte  and  sought  repeatedly  to 
influence  the  Government  at  Washington  to  a  more  ag- 
gressive attitude. 

During  Mr.  Cleveland's  administration  he  was  one 
of  five  gentlemen  who,  under  date  of  March  9,  1895, 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  President,  asking  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Oscar  S.  Straus  as  a  special  commis- 
sioner to  secure  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  naturali- 
zation prepared  by  the  latter  when  American  Minister 
at  the  Porte,  but  never  ratified.  Acting  on  behalf  of  a 
representative  committee,  including  all  the  more  impor- 
tant American   missionary  bodies  carrying  on  work  in 

*  On  the  day  after  Mr.  Jesup's  death  one  of  the  great  New  York  dailies  con- 
tained the  following  summary  of  Mr.  Jesup's  activity  in  connection  with  the 
Syrian  Protestant  College.  The  editorial  was  entitled  "Mr.  Jesup  in  Syria," 
and  is  worthy  of  a  permanent  place  in  any  estimate  of  his  career. 

"Nowhere  will  Morris  K.  Jesup  be  more  sincerely  mourned  than  on  the  ex- 
treme eastern  shore  of  the  Mediterranean,  under  the  side  of  Mount  Lebanon, 
where  one  of  the  most  interesting  institutions  in  the  world  owes  much  of  its  re- 
markable development  to  his  energetic  financial  administration  and  constant 
fostering  care.  We  refer  to  the  great  modern  English-speaking  university  at 
Beirut,  formally  styled  the  Syrian  Protestant  College. 

"This  school  of  civilization  surprises  every  new  beholder.  Having  previously 
entertained  perhaps  some  vague  idea  of  a  college,  in  which  a  handful  of  native 
youth  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  local  missionary,  and  subject  themselves  with  more 
or  less  of  cynical  interest  to  pious  efforts  at  sectarian  proselytism,  with  incidental 
secular  instruction,  the  visitor  discovers,  generally  to  his  immense  astonishment, 
what  the  Beirut  institution  really  is.  He  finds  a  thoroughly  organized  and  per- 
fectly crystallized  university  with  a  faculty  of  eighty  or  more  accomplished  and 
eminent  men,  and  nearly  a  thousand  students  from  all  parts  of  the  Turkish  Em- 
pire, from  the  Greek  Islands,  from  Egypt,  from  the  Soudan,  from  Persia,  from 


,102  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Turkey,  he  presented  to  the  President  a  petition  asking 
the.Governrtifent  to  take  the  necessary  steps  "to  secure  for 
the  American  missions  and  institutions  in  Turkey  the 
prompt  and  full  confirmation  of  their  pre-existing  rights 
and  a  settlement  similar  to  that  accorded  to  missions  and 
institutions  belonging  to  French,  Russian,  German,  and 
Italian  subjects." 

In  presenting  this  petition  Mr.  Jesup  accompanied  it 
with  the  following  words: 

Mr.  President: 

We  do  not  ask  any  special  favors.  We  ask  that  our 
Minister  at  Constantinople  be  instructed  to  see  the  Sul- 
tan of  Turkey  in  person  and  ask  that  the  privileges  we 
desire  for  the  prosecution  of  our  educational  and  relig- 
ious work  in  Turkey  be  granted  to  us,  as  has  been  done 
to  France,  Germany,  and  other  European  countries  and 
as  has  been  agreed  to  under  the  treaties  already  existing 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Ottoman  Porte.  While 
our  country  is  making  such  rapid  and  wonderful  progress 
in  all  that  pertains  to  industry,  trade,  and  commerce,  is  it 

India,  from  the  very  heart  of  Arabia,  pursuing  both  academic  and  professional 
studies  under  physical  and  intellectual  conditions  precisely  similar  to  those 
obtaining  in  any  American  college  of  equivalent  importance.  Planted  promi- 
nently on  a  modern  New-England-like  campus,  overlooking  the  sea,  are  the 
extensive  stone  dormitories,  the  chapel,  the  library,  the  laboratories,  the  muse- 
ums of  natural  history,  of  archaeology  and  of  art,  the  technical  schools,  even 
the  gymnasium  and  athletic  field  of  our  well-understood  domestic  system.  In 
the  dignity  and  completeness  of  its  physical  establishment  the  Syrian  College 
is  on  a  par  with  most  of  the  colleges  of  equal  dimensions  here  at  home;  its 
advantages  over  the  American  institutions  are  the  unrivalled  beauty  of  its  site 
and  the  incomparably  varied  field  of  its  usefulness.  .  .  . 

"There  is  at  Beiriat  absolute  control  of  the  natural  impulse  to  make  the  col- 
lege an  instrument  of  active  and  direct  propagandism;  to  attack  aggressively 
the  various  creeds  of  its  students  and  to  make  conversions,  or  seeming  conform- 
ity of  faith,  the  price  of  a  liberal  education.  The  'heathen*  who  goes  to  Beirut 
does  not  become  the  object  of  coercive  solicitation.  Indeed,  beyond  the  formal 
requirement  of  attendance  at  the  chapel  services,  such  as  was  long  common  to 
the  denominational  colleges  of  America,  the  student  is  free  and  respected  in 
the  exercise  of  his  own  religious  convictions,  and  the  moral  influence  operating 


THE  CHURCHMAN  103 

strange  that  those  Americans  who  are  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  education  and  religion  should  be  equally  anxious  that 
this  side  of  the  greatness  of  this  nation  should  be  spread 
before  the  eyes  of  the  world  and  go  hand  in  hand  with 
commerce  and  trade,  in  extending  to  others  the  blessings 
we  possess.  It  is  not  only  this  unselfish  spirit  but  patriotic 
pride  in  country  that  impels  us  to  appear  before  you  and 
ask  that  the  influence  of  this  great  government,  so  potent 
over  the  world  at  this  time,  should  be  exercised  through 
you,  sir,  and  that  the  Sultan  should  be  requested  to  afford 
to  your  petitioners  the  privileges  they  now  seek. 

When  in  1900  the  Ecumenical  Conference  of  Foreign 
Missions  met  in  New  York  City,  Mr.  Jesup,  who  was  one 
of  the  Honorary  Vice-Presidents  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Committee  on  Arrangements,  was  chosen  to  call 
the  meeting  to  order  and  to  introduce  President  Mc- 
Kinley,  who  had  come  from  Washington  at  the  invita- 
tion of  the  Committee  to  extend  the  official  welcome  of 
the  Conference  to  the  delegates.     His  words  of  intro- 

on  him  is  a  thing  of  atmosphere,  of  which  he  is  scarcely  conscious.  The  result 
is  that  the  strictest  of  Wahabite  Mussulmans  from  Nejd,  the  most  orthodox  of 
Jews,  the  fastidious  Hindu,  the  usually  intolerant  Christian  of  the  Oriental 
churches,  the  Maronite,  the  Druse,  the  Sunnite  and  the  Shiite,  are  found  to- 
gether in  the  college  library,  helping  each  other  in  the  use  of  reference  books, 
or  on  the  foot-ball  field  amicably  and  even  fraternally  commingled  in  the  fiercest 
of  rushes,  precisely  as  is  the  case  with  the  more  homogeneous  population  of 
Amherst  or  Princeton  or  Dartmouth. 

"Where  else  on  earth  can  this  condition  be  found  to  a  similar  extent,  or  mani- 
fested in  so  striking  a  fashion  ?  How  can  you  exaggerate  its  interest  as  a  fact, 
or  overestimate  its  significance  as  a  factor  in  the  making  of  the  future  history 
of  the  near  East  ? 

"  Thus  it  happens  that  at  the  uttermost  end  of  every  camel  track  leading  across 
the  Syrian  desert  from  regions  inhabited  by  the  graduates  or  students  of  the 
Beirut  College,  Mr.  Jesup's  name  has  come  to  be  as  well  known  and  loved, 
and  the  features  of  his  face  as  familiar,  as  they  are  in  Central  Park  West.  The 
Syrian  Protestant  College,  which  he  helped  so  much  to  create  and  sustain, 
is  a  part  of  the  lasting  monument  to  his  manifold  activities.  We  have  dwelt 
upon  it  particularly  because  it  is  perhaps  less  well  known  to  The  Sun's  readers 
than  some  of  Mr.  Jesup's  other  great  services  to  humanity  and  the  humanities." 


104  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

duction  are  worthy  of  record  here,  not  only  as  illustrating 
his  felicitous  method  of  address,  but  also  as  showing 
how  important  was  the  place  which  he  assigned  to  foreign 
missions  in  the  world's  work. 

This  great  assemblage  comes  together  this  evening  for 
the  purpose  of  extending  a  hearty  personal  welcome  to 
the  members  of  the  Ecumenical  Council,  whose  delegates 
coming  from  every  part  of  the  habitable  globe  meet  for 
the  first  time  upon  this  American  Continent,  and  in  this 
city,  its  chief  centre,  to  report  the  progress  made  in 
missionary  enterprise,  and  to  devise  measures  by  which 
the  blessings  of  Christianity  may  be  diffused  more  widely 
throughout  the  world  at  large.  It  is  convened  at  the  close 
of  a  century,  wherein  commerce  has  replaced  conquest 
as  the  pioneer  of  civilization,  and  in  which  the  modes  of 
communication  by  steam  and  electricity  have  reached 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  whereby  men  and  na- 
tions have  been  brought  into  such  new  and  close  relations 
with  each  other,  that  the  brotherhood  of  man  is  no  longer 
an  ideal  conception,  but  is  becoming  day  by  day  more 
and  more  a  cheering  reality.  The  interest  of  our  people 
in  this  great  and  encouraging  work  has  been  immeasura- 
bly strengthened  by  recent  events,  which  have  imposed 
upon  us  larger  responsibilities  and  fill  us  with  new  hopes 
and  aspirations.  Although  the  "rude  alarms"  of  war 
have  not  ceased  with  the  century,  the  great  nations  of  the 
world  have  by  the  conclusions  of  The  Hague  Conference 
pledged  themselves  to  arbitration  as  the  best  means 
of  preserving  peace.  Thus  the  outlook  for  that  comity 
and  co-operation,  to  which  the  missionary  efforts  of  all 
the  churches  stand  committed,  was  never  so  promising 
as  it  is  to-day.  The  Government  of  the  United  States  I 
believe  to  be  in  hearty  sympathy  with  every  movement 
which  looks  to  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of 
"peace  and  good  will  on  earth"  proclaimed  at  the  advent 
of  our  divine  Master  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.     Hence 


THE  CHURCHMAN 


105 


the  President  of  the  United  States,  sympathizing  as  he 
does  with  every  movement  which  looks  to  the  amehora- 
tion  of  mankind,  has  for  a  day  left  the  exacting  duties 
of  his  high  office,  and  is  here  to-night  to  utter  the  words 
of  welcome  which  come  from  him  with  more  grace  and 
force  than  from  the  lips  of  any  living  man.  Thanking  the 
committee  for  having  placed  me  in  a  position  where  I 
enjoy  this  high  privilege,  I  beg  leave  to  present  to  you 
the  President  of  the  United  States. 


Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  the  missionary  work  of  the 
church  at  home  and  abroad  brought  forcibly  to  his  at- 
tention the  need  of  an  adequate  and  well-trained  ministry, 
and  led  to  his  connection  with  the  last  of  the  institutions 
to  which  we  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  in  this  chapter, 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  of  which  he  became 
a  director  in  1883. 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  was  founded  in 
1837  by  a  little  group  of  Presbyterians,  clergymen  and 
laymen,  who  believed  that  there  was  room  and  need 
in  a  great  city,  such  as  New  York  then  gave  promise  of 
becoming,  of  a  school  for  the  training  of  Christian  min- 
isters, and  that  such  training  could  more  efficiently  be 
secured  in  an  institution  independent  of  ecclesiastical 
control.  Members  of  the  New  School  body,  they  were 
out  of  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  rigid  orthodoxy, 
which  had  manifested  itself  in  the  trial  of  Albert  Barnes 
for  heresy  in  1836,  and  which  led  to  the  disruption  of 
the  church  in  the  following  year.  Their  interest  was 
practical,  and  their  spirit  catholic,  and  they  were  ready 
to  work  with  any  Christian,  whatever  his  creed,  who  was 
ready  to  work  with  them.  While  themselves  members 
in  good  and  regular  standing  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 


io6  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

the  charter  which  they  secured  from  the  Legislature  in 
1837  provides  "that  equal  privileges  of  admission  and 
instruction  with  all  the  advantages  of  the  institution  shall 
be  allowed  to  students  of  every  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians," and  the  records  of  the  Seminary  show  that  from 
the  first  it  numbered  among  its  student  body  not  only 
Presbyterians  but  representatives  of  all  the  leading 
evangelical  denominations. 

Among  his  fellow  directors  at  the  time  when  Mr.  Jesup 
became  a  member  of  the  Board  were  a  number  of  his 
personal  friends,  such  as  Mr.  D.  Willis  James,  Mr. 
William  E.  Dodge,  Jr.,^  and  Mr.  John  Crosby  Brown, 
laymen  who,  like  himself,  had  been  trained  to  respect 
the  Christian  church  and  who  believed  in  the  importance 
of  making  the  best  possible  provision  for  the  education 
of  its  ministry.  Mr.  Jesup  shared  their  exalted  opinion 
of  the  qualifications  needed  by  the  Christian  minister. 
He  believed  that  the  best  education  was  none  too  good  for 
the  future  leaders  of  the  church.  He  knew  the  value 
of  culture  for  efficiency.  Above  all,  he  believed  in  the 
principles  which  had  determined  the  founders  in  locating 
the  institution  in  the  midst  of  a  great  city,  where  its 
graduates  would  have  opportunity  to  come  into  daily 
contact  with  the  practical  problems  presented  by  human 
misery  in  its  most  acute  form. 

In  the  controversy  which  broke  out  in  the  church  over 
Dr.  Briggs's  famous  Inaugural,  which  led  to  the  veto  of 
his  appointment  as  Edward  Robinson  Professor  by  the 
General  Assembly  and  his  subsequent  trial  and  condem- 
nation for  heresy,  Mr.  Jesup  stood  loyally  by  the  Semi- 

*  Mr.  Dodge  joined  the  Board  in  the  same  year  as  Mr,  Jesup,  as  did  also 
Dr.  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  afterward  President  of  the  Seminary. 


THE  CHURCHMAN  107 

nary  In  its  support  of  the  accused  professor.  To  him 
the  question  cut  deeper  than  mere  theological  opinion. 
It  was  a  question  of  religious  liberty,  of  the  fundamental 
right  of  earnest  men  to  seek  for  truth  in  their  own  way, 
and  to  express  with  perfect  frankness  the  results  which 
they  believed  themselves  to  have  attained.  As  a  repre- 
sentative of  this  fundamental  Protestant  principle  Dr. 
Brlggs  had  his  hearty  support,  and  the  same  is  true  of 
Dr.  McGifFert  in  the  later  controversy  which  arose  in 
connection  with  the  publication  of  his  "Apostolic  Age." 
Mr.  Jesup  approved  the  policy  of  the  Board  in  resuming 
the  complete  independence  which  with  mistaken  gener- 
osity it  had  surrendered  in  its  compact  with  the  General 
Assembly  of  1870.*  And  when,  on  November  15,  1904, 
after  careful  and  long-continued  deliberation,  the  Sem- 
inary abolished  subscription  to  the  Westminster  Confes- 
sion as  a  requirement  for  its  professors  and  directors, 
Mr.  Jesup  was  one  of  those  who  voted  in  the  affirmative. 
During  the  quarter  century  of  his  connection  with  the 
Board  Mr.  Jesup  rendered  Union  Seminary  many  valu- 

^  In  1870  the  Old  and  New  School  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  united, 
after  a  separation  of  thirty-three  years.  Under  the  impulse  of  fraternity  in- 
spired by  the  occasion,  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Union  Seminary,  in  spite 
of  the  protests  of  some  of  their  members,  determined  to  surrender  the  inde- 
pendence which  they  had  hitherto  enjoyed  so  far  as  to  grant  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  newly  organized  church  the  right  of  veto  in  the  case  of  their 
appointments  of  professors.  It  was  this  provision  which  was  made  the  excuse 
by  the  Saratoga  Assembly  for  its  action  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Briggs.  The  point 
at  issue  was  a  technical  one,  turning  on  the  difference  between  an  original 
appointment  and  a  transfer.  On  the  occasion  of  Dr.  Briggs's  first  appointment 
as  Davenport  Professor  of  Hebrew  the  Assembly  had  offered  no  objection. 
During  the  years  which  followed,  however,  his  advocacy  of  the  principles  of 
the  higher  criticism  had  caused  him  to  be  looked  upon  with  increasing  disfavor 
by  conservative  Presbyterians,  and  when  the  Directors,  at  his  own  request, 
transferred  him  to  the  new  Chair  of  Biblical  Theology,  which  had  been  founded 
by  Mr.  Charles  Butler,  the  President  of  the  Board,  his  opponents  were  quick  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  to  enter  their  protest. 


io8  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

able  services.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee from  1883,  where  his  advice  on  matters  of  invest- 
ment was  most  useful.  In  1907  he  succeeded  his  friend, 
Mr.  D.  Willis  James,  as  Vice-President,  a  position  which 
he  held  till  his  own  death  in  the  following  year.  He  was 
a  liberal  contributor  to  the  funds  of  the  Seminary,  and 
the  spacious  recitation  hall  at  700  Park  Avenue,  which 
bore  his  name,  was  his  gift. 

Mr.  Jesup  followed  with  special  interest  and  approval 
the  work  of  the  Union  Settlement,  founded  in  1895  by  a 
group  of  Union  Seminary  alumni,  as  an  expression  of 
the  Seminary's  interest  in  social  problems,  and  as  a 
training  school  for  its  students  in  practical  work.  In 
1900  he  purchased  five  houses  on  East  104th  Street, 
remodelled  them  into  a  commodious  home  for  the  Settle- 
ment, and  presented  them  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  Seminary  to  be  held  in  trust  for  the  Settlement  for 
the  purposes  of  their  work. 

But  his  most  original  contribution  to  the  Seminary's 
work  was  his  foundation  in  1905  of  the  Jesup  Graduate 
Chair  of  Preaching.  The  foundation  had  its  origin  in 
Mr.  Jesup's  desire  to  spread  abroad  through  the  country 
at  large  his  own  exalted  idea  of  the  functions  and  oppor- 
tunity of  the  Christian  ministry.  He  had  been  deeply 
concerned  by  the  decline  of  interest  in  the  ministerial  call- 
ing on  the  part  of  many  Christian  parents,  and  teachers 
in  our  colleges.  He  felt  that  unless  this  tendency  was 
checked  the  prestige  of  the  Christian  ministry  must  suffer 
serious  hurt,  and  its  influence  be  proportionately  dimin- 
ished. He  believed  that  a  propaganda  was  necessary  in 
order  to  bring  again  to  the  attention  of  the  people  the 
inspiring  ideals  of  the  Christian   ministry,  as  it  appears 


THE  CHURCHMAN  109 

to  modern  men  who  realize  its  possibilities,  and  it  seemed 
to  him  that  Union  Seminary  was  peculiarly  fitted  to 
undertake  such  a  propaganda,  if  the  proper  man  could  be 
found  and  the  proper  conditions  established. 

The  result  of  this  conviction  was  a  proposal  to  the 
Board  of  Directors,  which  led  to  the  establishment  of 
the  Jesup  Graduate  Chair  of  Preaching,  and  the  call 
to  this  country  as  its  first  incumbent  of  the  Reverend 
Hugh  Black,  formerly  minister  of  Free  St.  George's  in 
Edinburgh. 

On  being  informed  of  the  acceptance  of  his  proposal 
by  the  Board  of  Directors  Mr.  Jesup  addressed  to  them 
the  following  letter: 

New  York,  April  22nd ,  1905. 
My  Dear  Dr.  Hall: 

I  think  proper  at  this  time  to  make  a  distinct  state- 
ment of  some  of  the  reasons  that  have  governed  my  mind 
in  connection  with  this  gift,  in  order  that  it  may  be  fully 
understood  by  the  Board. 

I  feel  that  the  time  has  come  when  something  must 
and  should  be  done  in  the  name  of  the  Seminary  to  in- 
crease the  number  of  young  men  of  the  highest  charac- 
ter and  ability  coming  from  the  most  substantial  Christian 
families  of  our  land,  to  dedicate  themselves  to  the  minis- 
try of  Christ. 

I  am  in  sympathy  with  the  present  scholarly  aims 
of  the  Seminary.  If  wisely  pursued,  I  think  they  must 
lead  the  students  to  honor  Holy  Scripture  as  true  and 
inspired.  But,  in  addition  to  our  scholarly  work,  we 
need  to  do,  and  must  do,  more  on  the  practical  and 
evangelical  side. 

I  want  to  see  the  Seminary  increase  its  teaching  force 
by  adding  thereto  a  man  of  power,  of  profound  acquaint- 
ance with  the  word  of  God;  of  fervent,  spiritual  life,  and 


no  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

of  unusual  gifts  in  the  interpretation  of  Scripture  for 
evangelistic  and  popular  purposes,  and,  if  possible,  of  uni- 
versity culture.  I  have  mentioned  to  you  the  names  of 
certain  men  to  illustrate  in  some  measure  a  type  of  my 
ideal  of  the  man  required.  We  should  be  prepared  to  call 
such  a  man,  could  he  be  found,  to  a  full  professorship. 
We  should  ask  him  to  divide  the  year  between  teaching 
work  in  the  Seminary  and  general  preaching  in  the  coun- 
try at  large.  In  the  Seminary  he  should  give  such  courses 
as  may  be  determined  upon,  which  shall  inspire  young 
men  with  enthusiasm  for  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  with  simplicity,  and  in  a  manner  calculated  to 
meet  the  actual  needs  of  to-day.  He  should  strive  to 
reach  young  students  and  preachers  already  at  their  work, 
and  to  create  higher  ideals  of  gospel  training  and  preach- 
ing, and  faithful  and  efficient  use  of  the  Word  of  God 
without  criticism,  as  the  chosen  instrument  for  the  con- 
version of  men  to  the  truth. 

But  his  duties  should  not  be  confined  to  the  Seminary. 
He  should  be  free  to  occupy  at  least  one-half  of  the  year 
in  general  work  in  the  country  at  large,  preaching  and 
giving  addresses  wherever  he  might  be  invited,  entering 
into  pulpits,  colleges,  and  universities  and  inspiring  the 
finest  men  in  them  with  the  zeal  for  the  ministry.  He 
should  make  it  his  business  to  come  in  touch  with  Chris- 
tian parents  throughout  the  land,  quickening  their  zeal 
to  dedicate  the  choicest  of  their  sons  to  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel.  ...  It  is  with  a  view  to  making  it  possible  for 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary  to  have  this  added  power 
that  I  make  this  endowment,  it  being  understood  that  in 
their  acceptance  of  this  endowment,  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors undertakes  to  carry  out  my  purpose.  .  .  . 

I  am, 

Very  truly  yours, 

Morris  K.  Jesup. 
The  Reverend  President, 

Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.D. 


THE  CHURCHMAN  in 

In  1905,  with  the  approval  of  Mr.  Jesup,  the  Board 
of  Trustees  offered  the  Reverend  Hugh  Black,  of  Free 
St.  George's,  Edinburgh,  the  position  of  lecturer  for  a 
year  on  the  Jesup  Foundation,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
that  term  he  v^as  unanimously  elected  Jesup  Graduate 
Professor,  a  position  which  he  still  holds. 

One  of  the  things  which  most  attracted  Mr.  Jesup  to 
Union  Seminary  was  the  fact  that  its  doors  were  freely 
opened  to  students  of  all  denominations.  He  was  a  firm 
believer  in  Christian  unity.  The  subject  was  one  which 
was  much  in  his  thoughts  and  which  had  his  support 
in  increasing  degree.  During  his  own  experience  as  a 
Christian  he  had  been  a  member  of  three  different  Chris- 
tian bodies — the  Congregational,  the  Dutch  Reformed, 
and  the  Presbyterian — and  he  numbered  among  the  lead- 
ing clergymen  of  other  Christian  bodies  many  personal 
friends.  He  rejoiced  in  all  the  influences  which  brought 
Christians  of  different  communions  into  common  asso- 
ciation. He  approved  of  the  formation  of  the  Hospital 
Saturday  and  Sunday  Association  as  a  movement  designed 
to  give  practical  expression  to  this  spirit  of  co-operation, 
and  consented  to  become  one  of  its  trustees.  In  his 
letter  accepting  the  presidency  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union  he  assigned  as  one  of  the  reasons  which 
influenced  him,  its  catholicity.  When  the  Directors  of 
Union  Seminary  abolished  subscription  to  the  West- 
minster Confession  as  a  condition  of  the  appointment  of 
directors  and  professors  he  approved  the  action,  not  sim- 
ply for  the  relief  which  it  afforded  tender  consciences, 
but  because  it  made  possible  the  introduction  of  mem- 
bers of  other  Christian  communions  into  the  Faculty  and 
the  Board. 


112  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Among  Mr.  Jesup's  papers  I  find  the  following  letter 
from  Bishop  Potter,  which  illustrates  so  well  the  catho- 
lic spirit  of  Mr.  Jesup  as  to  be  worthy  of  transcription. 
It  was  called  forth  by  a  generous  gift  which  Mr.  Jesup 
had  made  to  the  authorities  of  Grace  Church  in  connec- 
tion with  the  effort  which  they  were  making  to  secure  the 
property  adjoining  the  church,  formerly  occupied  by  the 
Vienna  Bakery,  and  so  to  preserve  for  all  time  a  suitable 
environment  for  that  noble  public  monument. 

No.  347  W.  89th  St., 
January  zSih,  1905. 
My  dear  Jesup: 

Dr.  Huntington  has  told  me  of  your  noble  gift  toward 
enabling  Grace  Church  to  secure  the  Vienna  Bakery 
property;  and  I  ask  the  privilege  of  saying  how  fine  and 
discriminating  I  think  it.  Of  course,  it  is  generous — ^you 
could  not  but  be  that — but  such  a  gift  has  in  it  the  flavor 
not  only  of  Catholic  public  spirit,  but  of  very  rare  discern- 
ment; and  "therein,"  to  quote  the  Apostle,  "I  do  rejoice; 
yea,  and  will  rejoice." 
Our  love  to  Mrs.  Jesup. 

Gratefully  yours, 

(Signed)  Henry  C.  Potter. 

Morris  K.  Jesup,  Esq. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN 

TN  1899  Mr.  Jesup  was  elected  President  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
As  the  official  representative  of  the  merchants  of  the 
chief  commercial  city  of  the  Western  world  the  Chamber 
had  for  years  exercised  an  important  influence  upon  the 
commerce  and  industry  of  the  country,  and  its  presidency 
was  generally  regarded  as  the  chief  honor  in  the  gift  of 
the  mercantile  community  of  New  York.  Founded  in 
1768  at  a  meeting  held  at  Fraunce's  Tavern  on  the  comer 
of  Pearl  and  Broad  Streets  by  a  group  of  twenty  repre- 
sentative merchants  under  the  leadership  of  John  Cruger, 
afterward  its  first  president,  its  organization  antedates 
that  of  the  republic  by  nearly  twenty  years.  Its  original 
articles  of  incorporation,  granted  by  George  III  in  1770,  set 
forth  that  the  object  of  the  Chamber  is  to  secure  "the 
numberless  inestimable  benefits  which  have  accrued  to 
mankind  from  commerce,"  and  express  the  belief  that 
the  enlargement  of  trade  will  vastly  increase  the  general 
opulence  of  the  colony.  From  the  first,  the  Chamber 
became  an  important  factor  in  the  life  of  the  community. 
Writing  in  1856,  its  historian.  Dr.  Charles  King,  former 
President  of  Columbia  College,  records  that  "from  its 

113 


114  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

origin  to  the  commencement  of  this  century  and  to  a 
more  recent  date,  the  Chamber  was  called  upon  ahke 
by  the  authorities  of  the  City,  of  the  State  and  of  the 
nation,  for  its  advice  and  opinions  on  questions  supposed 
to  be  specially  within  its  cognizance,  questions  of  quar- 
antine, of  public  health  and  cleanliness,  the  laws  of  trade, 
of  currency,  the  effect  of  inspection  laws,  of  high  and 
low  duty,  and  of  bankruptcy  laws."  During  its  later 
history  it  has  been  no  less  active.  It  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  Mr.  Lincoln  during  the  strenuous  days  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  while  the  events  which  engaged  its  at- 
tention after  the  restoration  of  peace  were  less  exciting, 
Mr.  Jesup  could  say  with  truth  in  his  speech  at  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  new  building  in  1902  that  during  the  last 
half  century  "every  great  question  affecting  commerce, 
finances,  and  the  currency  which  the  country  has  been 
called  upon  to  face  had  been  discussed  by  the  Chamber," 
and  that  its  resolutions  and  reports  had  contributed  ma- 
terially to  their  rightful  solution.  To  name  only  a  few 
of  the  more  important  matters  in  which  it  has  been  active, 
it  will  be  sufficient  to  recall  the  position  which  it  has 
repeatedly  taken  in  connection  with  the  frequently  re- 
curring financial  heresies,  its  advocacy  of  important  pub- 
lic works  such  as  the  Erie  Canal,  the  Croton  Water  sys- 
tem, and  the  Rapid  Transit,  its  efforts  on  behalf  of  the 
preservation  of  the  natural  resources  of  the  country,  and 
its  leadership  in  the  relief  movements  rendered  necessary 
from  time  to  time  by  the  great  calamities  which  have 
visited  different  parts  of  the  world. 

It  was,  then,  no  slight  honor  which  his  fellow  members 
paid  Mr.  Jesup  when  they  asked  him  to  assume  the 
presidency  of  the  Chamber.    The  office  had  been  held  in 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        115 

the  past  by  such  men  as  James  G.  King  and  William  E. 
Dodge,  and  Mr.  Jesup's  predecessor,  Mr.  Alexander 
Orr,  to  whom  the  suggestion  of  his  own  nomination  was 
due,  had  long  been  a  leader  in  all  enterprises  making 
for  the  public  good. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Jesup's  election  to  the  presidency 
of  the  Chamber  he  was  sixty-nine  years  old.  Fifteen 
years  had  passed  since  he  resigned  from  active  business, 
years  which,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been  filled  with  public 
service  of  various  kinds.  In  the  Chamber  he  had  long 
been  an  active  figure.  It  was  to  his  efforts  that  was  due 
the  energetic  action  taken  by  the  Chamber  in  the  matter 
of  the  preservation  of  the  Adirondack  forests.  While 
never  having  held  or  sought  public  ofl&ce,^  he  had  a  wide 
acquaintance  with  public  men  and  exercised  an  impor- 
tant influence  on  the  formation  of  public  opinion.  In 
the  different  movements  for  civic  betterment  which  had 
taken  place  from  time  to  time  in  New  York  he  had  been 
a  powerful  factor.  We  are  already  familiar  with  his  ser- 
vices in  connection  with  the  Committee  of  Twenty-one, 
and  the  campaign  for  clean  streets,  which  he  inaugurated 
ten  years  later  under  Mayor  Grant.  When  Mr.  Hewitt 
made  his  independent  campaign  for  Mayor  in  1888  Mr. 
Jesup  was  one  of  his  strongest  supporters,  and  called  the 
meeting  to  order  which  ratified  his  nomination.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Seventy  which  finally 
succeeded  in  beating  Tammany  Hall  and  electing  the 
Honorable  William  L.  Strong  Mayor.  If  long  and  faithful 
service  be  any  measure  of  desert  Mr.  Jesup  can  fairly 
be  said  to  have  earned  his  election. 

*  In  November,  1887,  Mr.  Hewitt  appointed  Mr.  Jesup  School  Commissioner, 
an  appointment  which  he  declined. 


ii6  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

To  him,  however,  gratifying  as  the  recognition  must 
have  been,  the  new  position  appealed  rather  as  an  oppor- 
tunity than  as  a  reward.  The  duties  which  devolved 
upon  him  as  President  of  the  Chamber  were  of  two  kinds, 
corresponding  to  the  two  different  functions  which  the 
Chamber  filled  in  the  life  of  the  community.  On  the 
one  hand,  as  its  name  implies,  the  Chamber  was  the 
recognized  organ  of  the  commercial  interests  of  the  State, 
and  it  was  its  duty  to  deal  with  the  various  questions 
which  arose  from  time  to  time  affecting  those  interests. 
On  the  other  hand,  through  its  annual  banquet  and  less 
formal  meetings  it  fulfilled  an  important  social  function  in 
the  life  of  the  community  and  was  one  of  the  organs 
through  which  the  more  ideal  aspects  of  the  life  of 
commerce  found  expression. 

Each  aspect  of  his  new  duty  appealed  to  Mr.  Jesup, 
and  to  both  he  gave  his  best  energies;  but  for  the  latter  he 
was  peculiarly  fitted,  both  by  temperament  and  training. 
The  eight  years  of  his  administration  made  unusually 
heavy  social  demands  upon  the  President.  They  wit- 
nessed the  visit  to  this  country  of  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia 
and  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg,  the  journey  of  a  repre- 
sentative committee  of  the  New  York  Chamber  to  Lon- 
don at  the  invitation  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  the  return  visit  of  the  London  delegation  to 
New  York;  and  finally,  the  formal  opening  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies  of  the  new  building  of  the  Chamber  in 
Liberty   Street,  which  was  completed   in    1902. 

Before,  however,  we  take  up  these  more  exceptional 
features  of  Mr.  Jesup's  administration  it  will  be  proper 
to  say  a  few  words  about  his  treatment  of  the  routine 
duties  of  his  office. 


THE   REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        117 

The  President  of  the  Chamber  Is  charged  ex  officio 
with  certain  duties  quite  apart  from  his  functions  as  pre- 
siding officer,  which,  of  themselves,  make  no  small  tax 
upon  his  time  and  skill.  The  most  important  of  these 
in  Mr.  Jesup's  case  were  his  duties  in  connection  with 
the  Rapid  Transit  Commission  and  his  presidency  of 
the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  to-day  when  rapid  transit  is  an  ac- 
complished fact,  and  the  difficulties  connected  with  build- 
ing a  subway  in  the  crowded  thoroughfares  of  a  city  as 
densely  populated  as  New  York  have  been  successfully 
overcome,  to  realize  how  great  were  the  obstacles  which 
confronted  the  men  who  first  suggested  the  building  of 
the  present  subway,  or  how  much  the  city  owes  to  the 
persistent  courage  and  sterling  integrity  of  the  gentlemen 
who  constituted  the  first  rapid  transit  commission. 

The  movement,  like  so  many  others  which  have  bene- 
fited the  city,  had  its  inception  in  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  man  who  gave  the  movement  its  first  im- 
pulse was  Mr.  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  to  whom  New  York 
is  indebted  for  so  many  other  statesmanhke  suggestions. 
After  Mr.  Hewitt,  the  credit  for  what  was  accomplished 
belongs  to  Mr.  Orr,  the  President  of  the  Chamber  at 
the  time  the  Commission  was  appointed,  and  from  the 
first  its  efficient  and  untiring  chairman. 

The  difficulties  which  confronted  the  Commission  were 
of  three  kinds,  physical,  financial,  and  political.  No 
underground  railroad  whose  roadbed  was  so  close  to  the 
level  of  the  street  as  that  of  the  present  subway  had  ever 
been  built,  and  there  were  many  first-class  engineers  who 
doubted  whether  it  could  be  built.  The  Commission 
were  confronted  with  the  conflict  of  expert  testimony. 


ii8  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

and  it  took  no  little  courage  for  them  to  follow  the  untried 
course  and  to  adopt  the  plans  drawn  by  their  chief  engi- 
neer, Mr.  William  Barclay  Parsons,  to  whose  recom- 
mendation the  adoption  of  the  present  route  is  due. 
Moreover,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  secure  the  needed 
capital.  Incredible  as  it  now  seems  in  the  light  of  later  ex- 
perience, the  leading  financiers  of  the  city  doubted  whether 
the  subway  could  be  made  to  pay  a  fair  return  upon  the 
capital  invested.  Mr.  Orr  was  obliged  literally  to  beg 
from  door  to  door,  and  it  was  largely  through  his  own 
personal  solicitation  that  Mr.  Belmont  was  at  last  induced 
to  take  the  matter  up.  Finally,  the  Commission  had  to 
face  the  bete  noir  of  all  those  who  carry  on  public  works 
in  New  York  City,  the  ever  present  pressure  of  the  politi- 
cians, hungry  for  patronage  and  unaccustomed  to  deal 
with  men  who  insisted  that  for  every  dollar  spent  a  dollar's 
worth  should  be  received  either  in  work  or  in  material. 
Under  the  circumstances  it  is  highly  creditable  to  the 
Commission  that  they  overcame  all  these  obstacles  and 
succeeded  in  demonstrating  once  and  for  all  that  rapid 
transit  through  subways  in  the  City  of  New  York  was  at 
once  practicable  and  profitable. 

What  Mr.  Jesup  thought  of  Mr.  Orr's  services  to  the 
cause  may  be  learned  from  the  following  extracts.  On 
May  28th  he  writes  to  him:  "I  have  noted  with  at- 
tention the  thought  and  care  you  are  constantly  giving  to 
rapid  transit.  I  really  do  not  know  what  the  men  of  the 
city  would  do  without  you,  and  I  wish  every  one  interested 
appreciated  as  much  as  I  do  your  unselfish  devotion.  I 
wish  I  could  do  more  to  relieve  you."  And  again,  on 
December  4th,  in  connection  with  the  proposal  of  Mr. 
Orr's  name  for  election  as  honorary  member  of  the  Cham- 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        119 

ber:  "You  deserve  the  honor  because  of  what  you  have 
done  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Chamber  and  for  what 
you  have  done  for  the  greater  city  of  New  York.  Your 
devotion  and  unselfish  work  in  the  cause  of  rapid  transit 
alone  is  a  monument  to  you,  for  I  do  not  know  how  this 
great  work  could  have  been  carried  to  the  success  now 
achieved  but  for  your  care  and  attention  to  its  interests." 
In  another  letter,  when  expressing  to  Mr.  Orr  his  desire 
to  retire  from  the  presidency  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, he  mentions  among  the  reasons  for  his  being 
willing  to  remain  a  little  longer  if  it  is  required  of  him, 
his  desire  to  continue  to  assist  Mr.  Orr  in  rapid  transit 
matters. 

The  principle  on  which  the  Commission  acted  in  its 
handling  of  the  transit  situation  was,  as  is  well  known, 
that  of  a  partnership  between  the  city  and  private  capital. 
Mr.  Jesup  thoroughly  approved  of  this  principle.  He 
realized  that  fifty  years,  however  long  it  may  appear  in 
the  life  of  an  individual,  is  short  in  the  life  of  a  city, 
and  he  regarded  as  wise  the  policy  which  the  Commission 
adopted  of  making  arrangements  for  a  liberal  compensa- 
tion to  the  lessee,  who  assumed  the  risk  of  the  first  experi- 
ment, while  insisting  that  the  city  should  be  assured  of 
the  future  increments  of  value. 

When  Mr.  Jesup  became  President  of  the  Chamber 
the  plans  of  the  Commission  were  already  well  organized 
and  its  work  far  on  its  way  to  completion.  His  letters  to 
Mr.  Orr  show  the  interest  with  which  he  followed  the  vari- 
ous matters  which  came  up  for  decision  from  time  to  time. 
On  more  than  one  occasion  when  an  important  question 
was  to  come  before  the  Commission,  such  for  example  as 
the  question  of  a  third  rail  for  the  Manhattan  Elevated 


I20  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Railroad,  or  the  application  of  the  New  York  Connecting 
Railroad  Company  for  the  franchise,  he  put  his  views  in 
writing  and  submitted  them  to  Mr.  Orr  beforehand. 
He  repeatedly  sacrificed  his  own  personal  convenience 
in  order  to  be  present  at  meetings  of  the  Commission. 

Mr.  Jesup's  connection  with  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor 
involved  greater  responsibility.  Begun  on  May  4,  1899, 
this  continued  for  eight  years.  The  appointment,  hke 
that  to  the  Rapid  Transit  Board,  came  through  his 
official  position  as  President  of  the  Chamber.  The  his- 
tory of  the  trust  is  an  interesting  one.  In  the  early  days 
of  New  York  City  a  certain  Captain  Randall,  an  old 
seafaring  man,  left  in  trust  a  tract  of  twenty-five  acres 
in  a  region  of  the  city  including  what  is  now  the  south 
and  east  of  Washington  Square,  in  the  hope  that  the 
income  might  suffice  to  support  thirty  old  sailors.  The 
trustees  to  whom  he  committed  the  execution  of  this 
benevolent  purpose  were  seven  in  number  and  consisted 
of  the  Mayor  of  the  City,  the  Chancellor  of  the  State, 
the  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Rector 
of  Trinity  Church,  the  Minister  of  the  Old  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  the  President  and  Vice-President  of 
the  Marine  Society.  The  Board  elected  its  own  presi- 
dent, an  office  to  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  chosen  soon  after 
his  entrance  upon  the  Board. 

The  time  of  Mr.  Jesup's  incumbency  was  critical, 
because  the  character  of  the  city  was  changing  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  the  policy  which  had  hitherto  been  pur- 
sued in  its  management  no  longer  profitable.  The  trus- 
tees had  been  accustomed  to  draw  leases  for  a  period  of 
twenty-one  years,  a  term  too  short  to  make  expensive 
improvements    possible.     Under  this  policy  the  property 


THE   REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        121 

was  rapidly  falling  into  the  hands  of  undesirable  tenants. 
In  order  to  secure  the  proper  improvement  of  the  property 
Mr.  Jesup  favored  a  policy  of  either  taking  up  the  leases 
and  improving  the  property  for  rent  by  the  Board,  or 
increasing  the  length  of  lease  so  as  to  make  possible  the 
erection  of  large  business  buildings  such  as  Wanamaker's. 
Under  his  leadership  the  transition  was  successfully  ac- 
complished, and  some  of  the  reports  written  under  Mr. 
Jesup's  direction  not  only  shed  interesting  light  upon  the 
management  of  this  particular  trust,  but  give  valuable 
hints  of  Mr.  Jesup's  business  methods  and  point  of  view. 
During  Mr.  Jesup's  presidency  of  the  Chamber  oc- 
curred two  natural  calamities  of  unexampled  magnitude. 
The  first  was  the  destruction  of  St.  Pierre  in  the  Island 
of  Martinique  by  the  eruption  of  Mont  Pelee;  the  second 
was  the  terrible  combination  of  earthquake  and  fire 
which  desolated  San  Francisco  in  1906.  In  both  cases 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  foremost  in  measures  of 
relief,  and  to  all  that  was  done  Mr.  Jesup  gave  his 
personal  attention.  On  his  own  responsibility,  trusting 
that  his  action  would  be  confirmed,  he  purchased  in  the 
name  of  the  Chamber  several  vessels  loaded  with  grain 
which  were  on  their  way  to  St.  Pierre.  Learning  that  the 
parties  to  whom  these  vessels  were  consigned  had  all  been 
destroyed  in  the  volcanic  eruption,  he  telegraphed  to  the 
American  Consul  at  the  nearest  port  on  the  island  to  take 
possession  of  the  vessels  and  their  cargoes  when  they 
should  arrive  and  to  use  the  latter  for  the  relief  of  the 
many  hungry  people  on  the  island.  In  the  case  of  San 
Francisco  he  acted  no  less  vigorously.  He  not  only  took 
prompt  measures  for  raising  money,  contributing  largely 
of  his  own  means  to  the  generous  fund  raised  by  the 


122  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Chamber,  but  he  studied  with  painstaking  care  the  most 
effective  method  of  rendering  the  needed  help  available. 
Under  his  leadership  Dr.  Devine  was  sent  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  an  effective  bureau  of  relief  established  which 
co-operated  with  the  United  States  authorities  in  mitigat- 
ing the  horrors  of  the  situation,  which  must  otherwise  have 
proved  intolerable.  One  of  the  writer's  most  vivid  mem- 
ories of  Mr.  Jesup  is  in  connection  with  this  matter. 
Calling  upon  him  one  day  at  his  house,  I  noticed  how 
worn  and  tired  he  looked  and  said  to  him:  "Mr.  Jesup, 
why  are  you  staying  in  the  city  ?  You  ought  to  be  at 
Lenox."  He  answered:  "Yes,  I  know  I  ought  to  go 
away,  but  I  simply  cannot  leave  the  city  while  this  matter 
of  San  Francisco  still  needs  my  attention.  I  have  fol- 
lowed all  the  details  personally  and  I  cannot  commit  the 
responsibility  to  any  one  else." 

One  of  the  regular  duties  which  devolved  upon  the 
President  of  the  Chamber  was  to  preside  at  the  annual 
banquet.  This  function  Mr.  Jesup  took  with  unusual 
seriousness,  and  to  the  details  which  the  preparation  for 
the  banquet  involved  he  gave  his  personal  attention.  The 
company  which  assembled  at  these  gatherings  was  a 
notable  one,  and  the  speakers,  who  have  included  many  of 
the  most  eminent  men  in  the  country,  from  the  President 
of  the  United  States  down,  have  often  made  the  meeting 
the  occasion  for  pronouncements  of  national  importance. 
At  the  banquets  Mr.  Jesup  presided  with  grace  and  dis- 
tinction, and  the  little  speeches  with  which  he  introduced 
the  orators  of  the  occasion  were  models  of  their  kind. 

Nor  was  it  only  in  connection  with  his  regular  duties 
as  President  that  Mr.  Jesup  was  called  upon  to  act  as 
host.    When  any  eminent  man  visited  this  country,  the 


THE   REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        123 

President  of  the  Chamber  was  naturally  expected  to  show 
him  hospitality.  Mr.  Jesup  was  prompt  to  recognize 
this  obligation,  and  either  in  an  official  or  unofficial  ca- 
pacity entertained  most  of  the  distinguished  foreigners 
who  were  in  America  during  his  term  of  office.  He  was 
one  of  the  committee  appointed  by  Mayor  Low  to  meet 
Prince  Henry  of  Prussia  on  his  visit  to  this  country  in 
1902  and  to  be  his  personal  escort  during  his  stay  in  New 
York.  At  the  famous  Captains  of  Industry  luncheon, 
in  which  the  royal  party  met  a  group  of  representative  men 
who  had  attained  eminence  in  the  industrial  world,  Mr. 
Jesup  was  one  of  the  hosts  and  sat  on  Prince  Henry's 
left.  In  1904  he  entertained  Mr.  John  Morley  at  lunch- 
eon at  the  Chamber.  In  the  following  year  it  was  his 
privilege  as  President  of  the  Chamber  to  welcome  to  this 
country  H.  S.  H.  Rear  Admiral  Prince  Louis  of  Batten- 
berg,  when  in  November  he  visited  this  country  in  com- 
mand of  His  Majesty's  second  cruising  squadron.  In 
1906  he  extended  similar  hospitalities  to  the  Chinese 
Commissioners  who  had  been  sent  to  America  in  order 
to  study  American  educational  methods,  and  at  the  ban- 
quet extended  to  them  on  the  following  night  by  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  missionary  boards  he  responded  to  the 
toast  of  Commerce. 

The  preparation  for  these  and  similar  functions  made 
no  small  demand  upon  Mr.  Jesup's  time.  Scrap-books 
found  among  his  papers  give  an  insight  into  the  infinity 
of  detail  required  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements. 
When  Mr.  Morley  is  to  be  entertained  we  find  Mr. 
Jesup  corresponding  with  Mr.  Choate  as  to  the  points 
in  the  career  of  his  distinguished  guest  most  worthy  of 
emphasis.      When   the   dedication  of  the  new  building 


124  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

of  the  Chamber  brings  together  the  official  representa- 
tives of  the  different  European  countries,  a  long  corre- 
spondence is  necessary  with  Monsieur  Cambon  and  Mr. 
Hay  as  to  the  proper  etiquette  to  be  observed  in  seating 
them.  Last,  but  not  least,  was  the  demand  upon  time 
and  thought  which  was  made  by  the  various  speeches 
which  his  duty  as  presiding  officer  made  necessary. 

In  his  memorial  address  delivered  at  the  Chamber  on 
June  23,  1908,  General  Horace  Porter,  than  whom  no 
better  judge  of  public  address  could  be  found,  thus  sums 
up  his  impression  of  Mr.  Jesup  as  a  speaker:  "Every 
year  we  saw  him  who  had  devoted  his  early  life  entirely 
to  mercantile  pursuits  expressing  himself  in  writing  more 
forcefully  and  in  his  addresses  more  eloquently  until  he 
became  one  of  the  most  agreeable  and  graceful  presiding 
officers  over  public  bodies  whom  New  York  has  seen  for 
many  years." 

This  honorable  position  was  not  won  without  effort. 
Mr.  Jesup  was  not  naturally  a  ready  speaker.  No  one 
who  heard  his  strong  and  musical  voice,  noted  his  care- 
fully chosen  words,  and  observed  his  quiet  and  self-pos- 
sessed manner  would  have  imagined  how  much  labor 
it  cost  him  to  accomplish  what  he  seemed  to  do  so  easily. 
Yet,  Mr.  Jesup  himself  confessed  to  a  friend  that  the 
most  difficult  task  which  he  ever  set  for  himself  was  that 
of  speaking  in  public.  To  the  end  he  always  imagined 
himself  unequal  to  the  occasion  and  felt  the  nervous 
strain  severely.  Among  his  papers  are  found  rough 
drafts  of  his  different  addresses  in  various  stages  of  prep- 
aration, showing  that  they  were  studied  again  and  again, 
polished  and  repolished,  and  that  he  never  trusted  him- 
self to  appear  in  public  until  he  had  perfected  that  which 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        125 

he  wished  to  say  to  the  fullest  extent  possible.  When  it 
is  remembered  that  the  art  was  one  which  he  began  to 
acquire  late  in  life,  and  that  whatever  training  he  received 
in  public  speaking  was  self-given  through  repeated  self- 
criticism,  the  success  which  he  attained  is  as  creditable 
as  it  is  remarkable. 

As  a  single  illustration  of  his  method  I  may  give  an 
extract  from  his  response  on  February  2,  1906,  to  the 
toast  of  Commerce,  at  the  dinner  given  to  the  Chinese 
Commissioners.  After  remarking  that  he  was  proud  to 
couple  the  name  of  commerce  with  religion,  since  religion 
was  the  recognition  of  God  and  made  better  men,  and 
commerce  therefore  stood  on  a  safer  and  better  basis  with 
religion  as  its  leader,  Mr.  Jesup  continued  as  follows: 
"I  had  the  pleasure  yesterday  as  President  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  of  receiving  our  distinguished  guests. 
You  will  remember  that  in  the  year  187 1-2  during  the 
great  famine  in  China  wherein  two  million  of  its  people 
lost  their  lives  by  starvation,  the  merchants  of  this  city 
organized  a  relief  committee  and  made  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  the  medium  of  remittances  for  over  sixty 
thousand  dollars  to  relieve  those  sorely  stricken  people. 

The  acknowledgment  of  this  timely  relief  was  made 
by  the  Viceroy  of  Nanking.  This  distinguished  Chinese 
was  at  the  time  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in 
China.  Accompanying  his  letter  was  a  tablet  covered 
with  gold  leaf  and  in  large  type  in  black  letters  were 
certain  inscriptions  which  had  never  been  translated.  On 
the  arrival  of  our  distinguished  guests  this  tablet  was 
brought  from  the  silent  resting-place  where  it  had  lain 
for  thirty-five  years  and  laid  before  their  Excellencies, 
the  Commissioners,  for  translation.      It  was  as  follows: 


126  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

"There  may  be  differences  of  races,  there  exists  univer- 
sal brotherhood."  This  incident  Mr.  Jesup  employed  to 
illustrate  the  sympathy  which  had  always  existed  between 
China  and  this  country,  and  he  concluded  with  a  strong 
plea  that  those  present  should  exert  pressure  upon  the 
Government  to  support  the  President  in  the  effort  that 
he  was  making  to  carry  through  "a  treaty  based  upon  the 
principles  of  a  square  deal  which  shall  be  satisfactory  now 
and  which  shall  stand  for  all  earthly  time." 

The  two  most  notable  incidents  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Jesup*s  presidency  were  the  visit  of  a  delegation  of 
the  Chamber  to  London,  at  the  invitation  of  the  Chamber 
of  that  city,  in  the  summer  of  190 1,  and  the  dedication  of 
the  new  building  of  the  Chamber  in  November,  1902. 
The  occasion  for  the  former  is  thus  explained  in  the  me- 
morial volume  which  commemorates  it  and  which  bears 
the  suggestive  title,  "A  Pledge  of  International  Friend- 
ship." After  touching  upon  the  friendly  relations  which 
had  long  existed  between  the  two  Chambers,  the  com- 
piler recalls  the  fact  that  "when  the  diplomatic  relations 
between  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  United  States  be- 
came strained  because  of  a  difference  of  opinion  in  regard 
to  the  boundary  line  of  Venezuela,  the  London  Chamber 
appealed  to  the  New  York  Chamber  to  use  its  good 
offices  in  the  cause  of  a  peaceful  solution  of  the  difficulty." 
The  manner  in  which  the  call  was  responded  to  made 
a  lasting  impression,  and  it  was  the  desire  to  mark  their 
deep  sense  of  the  service  thus  rendered  that  prompted 
the  Council  of  the  London  Chamber  to  invite  the  New 
York  Chamber  to  pay  a  visit  to  London,  which  should 
still  further  strengthen  the  bonds  of  sympathy  and  of 
friendship  which  united  the  two  Chambers. 


THE   REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        127 

The  invitation  was  accepted  in  the  spirit  in  which  it 
was  given,  and  during  the  first  week  of  June  a  representa- 
tive delegation  of  American  merchants,  with  Mr.  Jesup 
at  their  head,  enjoyed  the  hospitahties  which  had  been 
prepared  for  them  by  the  extensive  and  influential  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  London  Chamber. 

The  festivities  of  the  week  included  a  reception  by 
their  Majesties  at  Windsor,  a  reception  by  the  Ameri- 
can Ambassador,  a  reception  by  Lord  Brassey,  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  London  Chamber,  a  reception  by  the  Lord 
Mayor,  a  luncheon  by  the  London  Chamber,  besides 
private  entertainments  too  numerous  to  mention.  The 
visit  culminated  in  the  banquet  given  in  Grocers'  Hall 
on  the  evening  of  June  5th,  attended  by  a  large  and  dis- 
tinguished company.  After  the  health  of  His  Majesty  the 
King,  and  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  had  been 
duly  drunk  and  responded  to,  the  Chairman,  Lord  Bras- 
sey, in  a  felicitous  speech,  proposed  "Our  friends,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York."  Mr. 
Jesup,  in  responding  on  behalf  of  the  Chamber,  thanked 
the  London  Chamber  for  the  courtesy  of  their  invitation, 
reminded  them  of  some  facts  connected  with  the  history 
of  the  New  York  Chamber,  acknowledged  the  indebted- 
ness of  America  to  England  for  "the  principles  of  relig- 
ion, justice  and  law,  which  have  grown  with  our  growth 
and  have  become  a  part  of  our  inheritance,''  and  con- 
cluded by  inviting  all  his  hearers  to  be  present  in  New 
York  the  following  November  and  to  participate  in  the 
dedication  of  the  new  building  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, which  it  was  proposed  at  that  time  to  open.  Other 
speeches  by  eminent  men  from  both  sides  of  the  water 
followed,  and  the  meeting  broke  up  at  a  late  hour,  hav- 


128  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

ing  left  upon  the  memories  of  those  who  attended  it  the 
impression  of  having  been  one  of  the  most  successful 
meetings  of  the  kind  held  in  many  years. 

The  building  to  whose  dedication  Mr.  Jesup  invited 
the  members  of  the  London  Chamber,  owed  its  inception 
to  a  suggestion  made  by  the  former  president,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander E.  Orr.  In  the  original  plans  of  the  Chamber  it  had 
been  proposed  that  it  should  have  a  building  of  its 
own,  but  for  some  reason  this  had  never  been  carried 
out,  and  the  Chamber,  although  probably  the  most  pow- 
erful and  wealthy  group  of  individuals  in  America,  con- 
tinued in  the  days  of  its  maturity  and  prosperity  to  meet 
about  from  place  to  place  with  the  same  informality,  if 
less  simplicity,  that  had  characterized  the  first  meeting 
of  the  founders  at  Fraunce's  Tavern.  It  seemed  to  Mr. 
Orr  that  the  time  had  come  when  the  Chamber  could  well 
afford  a  building  of  its  own.  Accordingly,  during  his 
presidency  he  inaugurated  the  movement  for  a  new  build- 
ing, which  was  carried  to  completion  during  the  incum- 
bency of  his  successor. 

Mr.  Jesup  heartily  approved  of  Mr.  Orr's  plan,  and 
made  it  one  of  the  central  interests  of  his  administration. 
He  contributed  generously  to  the  building  fund  himself, 
and  it  is  to  his  efforts  more  than  to  those  of  any  other 
man  that  the  beautiful  building  on  Liberty  Street  is  due. 

Mr.  Jesup  beheved  that  the  new  building  should  be 
dignified  and  spacious.  He  wished  no  expense  spared  in 
creating  an  edifice  which  should  worthily  express  the 
importance  of  the  body  it  was  meant  to  house.  The 
argument  that  it  was  not  needed  for  practical  purposes 
did  not  influence  him.  To  him  it  was  a  symbol  express- 
ing in  a  way  apparent  to  every  one  the  ideal  aspects  of 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        129 

the  life  of  commerce.  Its  stately  hall  with  its  spacious 
proportions  provided  ample  space  in  which  the  portraits 
of  former  members  of  the  Chamber,  who  had  deserved 
well  of  the  community,  could  be  perpetuated  for  the 
remembrance  of  posterity.  Its  dignified  facade  afforded 
a  worthy  pedestal  for  the  statues  of  the  great  men, 
like  Hamilton,  Clinton,  and  Jay,  who,  as  members  of 
the  Chamber,  had  signally  served  their  country,  while 
the  stairway  provided  ample  accommodation  for  other 
statues  which  it  might  be  desired  to  erect  in  time  to 
come.  Mr.  Jesup  believed  in  such  commemoration. 
Years  before,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Orr,  he  had  suggested 
that  the  Chamber  present  a  gold  medal  to  Mr.  Hewitt 
in  recognition  of  his  distinguished  public  services.  Here 
in  the  new  building  was  provided  a  place  where  such 
recognition  could  be  given  in  a  worthy  manner. 

The  building  was  opened  with  appropriate  cere- 
monies on  November  17,  1902.  Addresses  were  made 
by  Mr.  Jesup  as  President  of  the  Chamber,  by  ex-Presi- 
dent Cleveland,  by  President  Roosevelt,  and  by  Mayor 
Low.  In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  given  by  the  Cham- 
ber, attended  by  the  members  of  the  foreign  diplomatic 
corps  and  by  the  representatives  of  foreign  Chambers  of 
Commerce.  In  the  following  year  the  statues  of  Ham- 
ilton, Clinton,*  and  Jay  were  unveiled  with  appropriate 
ceremonies,  and  Mr.  Jesup,  who  had  been  the  guiding 
spirit  of  the  whole,  was  able  to  announce  the  building 
complete. 

One  more  occasion  on  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  called 


*  The  statue  of  Clinton  was  Mr.  Jesup*s  personal  gift  to  the  Chamber.  In 
his  will  he  also  left  to  the  Chamber  the  Gilbert  Stuart  portrait  of  Washing- 
ton, which  now  hangs  in  the  large  hall. 


130  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

upon  to  preside  at  the  dedication  of  a  statue  in  the  new 
building  deserves  special  mention.  In  the  spring  of  1903, 
only  a  few  months  after  the  completion  of  the  new  build- 
ing, Mr.  Hewitt  died.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Chamber, 
held  on  February  5th,  it  was  resolved  to  erect  a  marble 
statue  to  his  memory,  and  a  committee  was  appointed, 
of  which  Mr.  Orr  was  Chairman,  to  secure  the  necessary 
funds  and  to  select  a  sculptor.  The  work  was  entrusted 
to  Mr.  Couper,  and  months  later,  the  Chamber  met  to 
receive  the  finished  work  from  the  hands  of  the  committee. 
In  accepting  the  statue,  which  represented  the  friend 
who  had  so  often  risen  '*in  his  dignity  and  strength  to 
address  and  commune  with "  the  members  of  the  Cham- 
ber, and  whose  "unique  personality  continued  to  touch 
and  to  animate  their  hearts,"  Mr.  Jesup  spoke  as  follows; 

Mr.  Orr: 

On  behalf  of  this  Chamber,  I  receive  this  magnificent 
gift  from  your  committee.  You  have  performed  your  du- 
ties in  a  manner  most  commendable  and  praiseworthy. 

You  had  a  most  delicate  and  sacred  trust  to  fulfil. 
You  were  Mr.  Hewitt's  friends  and  companions.  You 
knew  the  man,  his  character  and  great  ability,  and  you 
have  thrown  your  own  sentiments  and  love  into  your  work 
by  permeating  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  sculptor  with 
those  characteristics  which  you  know  were  possessed  by 
Mr.  Hewitt.  Mr.  Couper  has  produced  a  wonderful  work 
of  art.  When  it  is  known  how  little  he  had  to  guide  him, 
having  never  seen  Mr.  Hewitt  or  known  him,  the  result 
is  truly  remarkable. 

As  we  now  look  on  this  unique  figure  in  marble,  we 
recall  how  Mr.  Hewitt  stood  before  the  members  of  this 
Chamber  on  February  seventh,  1901,  when  he  made  that 
wonderful  address  on  the  death  of  Queen  Victoria,  and 
again  on  September  sixteenth,  1901,  his  touching  tribute 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        131 

to  the  memory  of  Mr.  McKinley,  and  still  again  on  Oc- 
tober third,  1 90 1,  when  he  graciously  received  from  the 
Chamber  the  gold  medal  tendered  to  him  as  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  what  he  achieved  in  making  a  reality 
the  system  of  rapid  transit.  As  we  now  look  on  that 
statue,  the  face,  poise  and  form  of  him  who  has  gone,  and 
as  he  appeared  to  us  so  often  when  in  the  flesh,  we  are 
almost  satisfied  that  skill,  taste  and  art  have  done  their 
best. 

Mr.  Orr  and  fellow  members,  we  gratefully  receive  this 
gift  of  love  and  esteem.  We  shall  place  it  in  yonder  hall, 
on  the  pedestal  prepared  for  its  reception;  it  will  be  kept 
forever  as  our  choicest  possession;  we  shall  guard  it  from 
all  accident  and  defacement.  It  will  last  as  long  as  this 
building  of  marble  and  steel  exists,  and  when  we  are  gone 
and  new  faces  and  forms  come  here  to  take  counsel  as  to 
commerce,  trade,  and  finance,  the  form  of  Mr.  Hewitt 
will  be  close  by,  to  remind  them,  as  they  remind  us,  that 
after  all,  the  only  greatness  in  men  that  lives  for  all  time, 
is,  in  imitating  the  life  of  him  who  drew  his  inspiration 
from  the  Good  Master  himself,  who  said : 

"I  came  not  into  the  world  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 
to  minister." 

I  cannot  more  fitly  conclude  this  chapter  which  deals 
with  Mr.  Jesup's  services  in  a  representative  capacity, 
than  by  giving  in  full  the  address  which  he  delivered  at 
the  occasion  of  the  London  banquet. 

Mr.  Chairman,  My  Lords  and  Gentlemen: 

It  is  said  that  kind  words  are  the  music  of  the  world. 
For  the  gracious  and  kindly  words  with  which  you  have 
made  us  welcome,  and  for  the  generous  warmth  of  our  re- 
ception manifested  in  every  eye  and  felt  in  the  clasp  of  every 
hand,  it  is  my  privilege  as  much  as  pleasure,  representing 
as  I  do  my  Associates  here,  to  tender  to  you  on  behalf  of 


132  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  our  profound 
thanks.  It  was  a  happy  inspiration  that  dictated  your 
courteous  invitation  to  this  Banquet,  and  if  our  coming 
together  at  this  time  serves  to  bind  in  closer  ties  the 
relations  between  the  two  nations,  our  highest  hopes 
and  expectations  will  be  fulfilled,  and  we  shall  count  it 
a  high  honor  to  have  been  here.  Perhaps  it  will  be  in- 
teresting to  you  and  to  this  august  assembly  to  know  a 
little  about  the  history  of  the  New  York  Chamber.  The 
first  organization  of  our  Chamber  was  in  the  year  1768, 
and  is  older  by  many  years  than  the  Republic  and 
the  Constitution  of  the  iJnited  States.  The  object  of 
that  companionship  was  to  extend  the  blessings  of  com- 
merce, not  only  on  our  side  of  the  water,  but  to  cultivate 
the  same  relations  with  you  and  other  portions  of  the 
world.  In  the  year  1770  we  induced  George  III.,  King 
of  England,  France  and  Ireland,  the  Defender  of  the 
Faith,  to  grant  to  us  a  Royal  Charter.  This  Charter 
not  only  antedates  the  birth  of  our  Republic  as  well  as 
our  Constitution,  but  it  antedates  the  Revolution.  Under 
that  Charter  it  was  distinctly  stated  that  it  was  to  perpet- 
uate the  blessings  of  commerce  which  had  been  extended 
throughout  the  world  at  that  time,  and  incidentally  the 
King  hoped  that  our  organization  would  not  only  be  a 
blessing  to  ourselves,  but  that  it  would  be  a  blessing  to 
Great  Britain.  In  this  Charter  mention  is  also  made  of 
the  amount  of  real  estate  the  Chamber  was  to  hold,  pro- 
viding that  it  should  not  exceed  at  any  time  the  clear 
yearly  value  of  ;f  3,000.  We  were  at  that  time  a  Colony 
of  the  British  Empire.  The  population  of  the  City  of 
New  York  did  not  exceed  thirty  thousand,  and  the  popu- 
lation of  the  entire  country  was  about  three  millions. 
The  value  of  the  commercial  relations  then  existing  be- 
tween our  country  and  yours  amounted  to  the  small  sum 
of  fourteen  million  dollars.  But  learning  from  you  the 
habit  of  industry  and  fair  dealing,  we  have  gone  on  dur- 
ing these  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  until  now,  in  the 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        133 

dawn  of  the  Twentieth  Century,  we  come  before  you, 
and  with  no  Httle  pride  and  satisfaction  make  the  state- 
ment that  the  value  of  the  commercial  relations  between 
your  country  and  ours  during  last  year  amounted  to 
nearly  one  thousand  million  dollars.  We  are  not  unmind- 
ful, Mr.  Chairman,  that  you  are  the  sharers  with  us  in 
these  great  relations.  You  early  instilled  into  our  minds 
the  principles  of  religion,  justice  and  law,  which  have 
grown  with  our  growth  and  have  become  a  part  of  our 
inheritance,  and  with  which  we  have  worked  during  these 
past  years,  and  now  we  come  and  offer  to  you  our  pro- 
found acknowledgments.  Not  only  have  you  given  us 
these  principles  which  we  have  enjoyed,  but,  in  our  com- 
mercial life,  when  we  have  been  in  need,  by  your  capital 
our  great  resources  have  been  enlarged,  our  railroads  have 
been  built,  our  mines  have  been  opened  and  developed, 
and  our  commerce  extended.  And  it  is  not  only  these 
things,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  we  have  received,  but  how 
many  have  been  the  kindly  acts  of  friendship  and  loyalty 
which  we  have  received  at  your  hands  ?  'I  remember,  and 
I  say  it  with  infinite  gratitude,  that  in  the  year  1837,  when 
our  country  was  passing  through  a  disastrous  financial 
distress,  when  our  banks  had  suspended  specie  payments, 
and  when  our  people  were  discouraged,  one  of  our  loyal 
and  most  faithiful  citizens,  Mr.  James  Gore  King,  after- 
wards the  President  of  our  Chamber,  visited  London,  and, 
by  his  high  character,  so  impressed  your  financial  men 
that  the  Bank  of  England  advanced  one  million  pounds 
sterling  in  sovereigns  and  sent  the  same  by  packet  to  New 
York  under  the  control  of  Mr.  King,  to  enable  the  banks 
in  New  York  to  resume  specie  payments,  and  thus  restore 
confidence  to  our  community.  That  bank  did  a  most 
kindly  and  magnanimous  thing.  No  stipulation  was  made 
as  to  the  return  of  that  money;  neither  did  they  expect 
or  ask  for  any  reward.  It  was  a  kindly  act,  and  one  that 
will  never  be  forgotten.  But  above  all  this,  when  our 
country  was  in  the  strife  of  civil  war,  and  we  were  under 


134  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

the  apprehension  of  a  divided  country  and  menaced  with 
war  from  England,  your  illustrious,  noble,  beloved,  good 
Queen — God  bless  her  memory — left  the  sickbed  of  her 
husband  in  order  that  by  her  counsel  and  advice  the  hand 
that  was  lifted  against  us  might  be  stayed.  Mr.  Chairman, 
we  never  can  forget  these  things.  We  are  no  rivals — no 
jealous  rivals — ^we  never  can  be.  We  are  of  the  same  race, 
the  same  blood,  we  speak  the  same  language,  we  worship 
the  same  God,  we  read  the  same  Bible.  No,  sir,  we  never 
can  be  rivals.  Our  only  rivalry  exists  in  seeing  how  we 
can  emulate  each  other  in  doing  those  things  which  tend 
for  civic  righteousness  and  truth.  Banding  ourselves 
together  hand  in  hand,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  heart  beat- 
ing with  heart,  let  us  emulate  one  another,  endeavoring 
to  extend  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  the  blessings  of  our  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  to  tell  the  world  of  the  holy  broth- 
erhood of  man.  And  now,  Mr.  Chairman,  before  I  sit 
down,  I  want  to  thank  you  again  for  this  unbounded  hos- 
pitality, for  the  opportunity  of  seeing  so  many  of  your  dis- 
tinguished representatives  and  citizens,  and  above  all,  I 
must  utter  the  feelings  of  my  heart  for  that  opportunity 
afforded  to  us  last  Saturday  of  taking  by  the  hand  your 
noble  King  and  Queen.  That  was  an  event  we  shall  never 
forget,  and  its  memory  will  never  be  effaced  as  long  as  we 
live.  Mr.  Chairman,  as  you  know,  we  are  building  for 
ourselves  a  home  in  the  City  of  New  York;  its  foundation 
is  laid  in  granite,  which  means  solidity;  its  structure  is 
of  steel,  which  indicates  strength;  its  walls  are  of  white 
marble,  the  emblem  of  purity.  In  a  year  from  now  we 
are  expecting  to  consecrate  that  building  to  the  noble 
cause  of  commerce,  and  with  it,  sir,  we  expect  to  conse- 
crate ourselves  to  the  cause  of  civic  righteousness  and 
truth.  In  the  language  of  one  of  your  countrymen,  U.  S., 
which  stands  for  the  United  States,  stands  also  for  "  Us," 
for  we  are  one.  It  gives  me  pleasure  on  behalf  of  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  be  President,  to  extend  to  you,  Sir,  and  to  your 


THE  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZEN        135 

associates,  a  most  cordial  invitation  to  be  with  us  in  a  year 
from  now,  and  witness  with  us  the  opening  of  our  new 
building. 

The  address,  which  was  listened  to  with  marked  at- 
tention, produced  a  profound  impression.  At  its  con- 
clusion Mr.  Jesup  received  many  warm  congratulations. 
But  among  the  tributes  paid  to  him,  none,  I  am  sure, 
must  have  gratified  him  more  than  the  following  letter, 
written  him  on  the  same  evening  by  Mr.  Henry  White, 
for  many  years  the  Secretary  of  the  American  Legation 
at  London. 

> 
4  Whitehall  Court,  S.  W. 
Dear  Mr.  Jesup: 

Just  a  line  to  congratulate  you  most  heartily  upon  the 
admirable  speech  which  you  made  this  evening.  I  can- 
not say  how  much  I  appreciated  it  as  a  model  of  elo- 
quence and  good  taste.  Lord  Lansdowne  drove  me  home, 
and  expressed  most  cordial  appreciation  of  it  also.  You 
perhaps  cannot  appreciate,  as  well  as  I  do  from  a  good 
many  years'  experience,  how  much  good  a  speech  of  such 
a  nature,  delivered  at  the  proper  time  and  under  proper 
auspices  as  yours  was,  does  toward  the  furtherance  of 
that  friendship  between  the  two  countries  which  I  know 
so  many  of  our  countrymen  as  well  as  Britons  now  have 
at  heart. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

(Signed)  Henry  White. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM 

TTT'HEN  Mr.  Orr  called  upon  Mr.  Jesup  to  request  his 
consent  to  his  nomination  as  President  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  found  him  engrossed  in  the 
study  of  some  building  plans  which  covered  his  table. 
"  Mr.  Jesup,"  said  Mr.  Orr,  "  I  have  got  a  piece  of  in- 
teresting news  to  give  you."  "All  right,"  said  Mr.  Jesup, 
"just  wait  a  moment  until  I  show  you  this  plan."  "But, 
my  dear  Jesup,"  remonstrated  Mr.  Orr,  "this  business 
of  mine  is  important.  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  I  wish 
to  nominate  you  for  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce." "Indeed,"  said  Mr.  Jesup,  "I  am  glad  to  hear 
it,  but  look  here,  I  want  to  show  you  what  a  splendid 
plan  this  is."  And  he  turned  back  again  to  the  papers 
on  the  table.  It  was  only  after  he  had  relieved  his  mind 
to  his  friend  of  this  paramount  interest  that  he  had  leisure 
to  appreciate  the  new  honor  and  responsibility  to  which 
his  colleagues  of  the  Chamber  invited  him. 

The  plan  which  Mr.  Orr  found  Mr.  Jesup  studying 
was  that  of  the  new  wing  of  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History.  The  place  which  the  Museum  held  in 
Mr.  Jesup's  regard,  the  long  and  devoted  service  which 

136 


THE   PRESIDENCY  OF  THE   MUSEUM  137 

he  rendered  it,  and  the  eminence  which  it  attained  under 
his  leadership  are  well  known.  For  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  it  was  his  controlling  interest,  and  it  remains 
to-day  his  most  enduring  monument. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  elected  President  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  on  February  14,  1881,  to  fill 
the  position  left  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Robert 
L.  Stuart.  The  situation  of  the  Museum  at  the  time  was 
critical.  It  had  reached  the  point  inevitable  in  the  his- 
tory of  every  institution  which  owes  its  origin  to  private 
initiative  and  depends  for  its  support  upon  voluntary  con- 
tributions, when  the  first  enthusiasm  had  waned  and  a 
thorough  reorganization  seemed  necessary  if  its  work  was 
to  be  successfully  continued.  Such  a  reorganization,  how- 
ever, made  greater  demands  than  could  be  met  with  the 
resources  at  the  disposal  of  the  trustees.  It  was  necessary 
that  some  one  with  force  and  enthusiasm  should  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  if  the  enterprise  was  not  to  come 
to  a  standstill  altogether.  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart,  who 
was  the  president  at  the  time,  felt  that  his  other  engage- 
ments did  not  permit  him  to  give  the  necessary  time  and 
energy  to  the  work.  He  accordingly  called  the  trustees 
together  at  his  house  and,  after  stating  that  in  the  event 
of  the  continuance  of  the  institution,  he  must  resign  as 
president,  presented  the  alternative  of  winding  up  its 
aflTairs,  or  finding  some  new  man  who  would  take  the 
leadership.  Mr.  Jesup,  who  was  present,  made  an 
earnest  plea  against  discontinuance  and,  after  full  dis- 
cussion, it  was  finally  agreed  to  follow  his  advice,  pro- 
vided Mr.  Jesup  would  consent  to  take  Mr.  Stuart's  place. 
The  responsibility  was  a  heavy  one  for  a  man  in  active 
business,  as  Mr.  Jesup  then  was,  but  he  was  not  one  to 


138  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

urge  upon  others  what  he  was  unwilling  to  undertake 
himself,  and  he  accordingly  gave  his  consent. 

To  understand  the  problems  which  confronted  Mr. 
Jesup  we  must  go  back  for  a  few  years  and  recall  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  Museum  had  its  origin 
and  the  purpose  which  its  founders  hoped  to  accomplish. 

The  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  was  or- 
ganized on  February  i,  1869,  by  a  group  of  private  citi- 
zens who  were  desirous  of  establishing  in  the  City  of 
New  York  "a  museum  and  library  of  natural  history,  of 
encouraging  and  developing  the  study  of  natural  science, 
of  advancing  the  general  knowledge  of  kindred  subjects, 
and  to  that  end,  of  furnishing  popular  instruction  and 
recreation.''  *  As  incorporators  appear  the  names  of 
John  David  Wolfe,  the  first  president,  Robert  Colgate, 
Benjamin  H.  Field,  Robert  L.  Stuart,  Adrian  Iselin, 
Benjamin  B.  Sherman,  William  A.  Haines,  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  father  of  the  ex-President,  Howard  Potter, 
William  T.  Blodgett,  D.  Jackson  Steward,  A.  G.  P. 
Dodge,  Charles  A.  Dana,  Joseph  H.  Choate,  Henry 
Parish,  and  Mr.  Jesup  himself. 

Several  different  influences  had  combined  to  bring 
about  the  new  movement.  Most  important  among  these 
was  the  remarkable  interest  in  natural  history  which  had 
been  aroused  by  the  work  of  Louis  Agassiz.  Assuming 
the  Chair  of  Zoology  and  Geology  in  Harvard  University 
in  1848,  he  was  not  content  to  bury  his  talent  in  an  aca- 
demic napkin.  To  eminence  in  research  he  added  rare 
gifts  of  popular  interpretation.  With  the  skill  of  a  dram- 
atist he  made  the  story  of  the  past  live  again.  Scientists 
found  in  him  a  stout  defender  of  the  rights  of  science, 

*The  extract  is  from  the  charter  of  April  6,  1869. 


THE   PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM     139 

religious  men  an  equally  firm  believer  in  the  reality  of 
revelation.  In  Cambridge  he  planned  the  Museum  of 
Comparative  Zoology,  v^hich  bears  his  name,  and  secured 
funds  for  its  erection,  which  took  place  in  i860.  The 
example  thus  set  was  followed  elsewhere,  and,  as  we 
shall  see,  was  the  direct  cause  of  the  movement  in  New 
York. 

Other  influences,  however,  were  not  wanting.  In  1836 
the  State  of  New  York  undertook  a  survey  of  the  natural 
history  of  the  State.  The  work  was  committed  to  Pro- 
fessor James  Hall,  and  under  his  competent  leadership, 
continued,  with  various  interruptions,  for  about  sixty 
years,  valuable  collections  were  gathered.  These  were 
housed  in  a  temporary  museum  at  Albany,  and  the  pub- 
lications which  accompanied  and  explained  them  helped 
to  educate  the  public  as  to  the  need  and  the  interest  of 
such  study. 

Still  another  influence  was  the  opening  of  Central 
Park.  It  was  one  of  the  ideas  of  those  who  planned  this 
improvement  that  the  new  park  would  afford  a  site  for 
various  buildings  of  public  interest,  such  as  museums 
and  the  homes  of  scientific  societies.  This  possibility 
was  one  of  the  influences  which  led  to  the  action  of  the 
trustees  in  incorporating  the  museum.  For  some  time 
they  had  been  in  correspondence  with  Mr.  Andrew  H. 
Green,  then  Commissioner  in  charge,  and  as  early  as 
1868  were  assured  of  his  support.  All  seemed  ripe  for 
action,  therefore,  when  the  final  steps  were  taken. 

It  was  indeed  high  time  that  something  should  be  done 
if  New  York  was  not  to  lag  behind  the  other  cities  of  the 
country.  Already  Philadelphia,  Washington,  Boston, 
and  Chicago  had  taken  steps  toward  securing  permanent 


140  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

homes  for  their  collections  in  natural  history.*  In  New 
York,  however,  no  concerted  action  had  yet  been  taken. 
There  were  various  collections,  of  greater  or  less  im- 
portance, some  of  more  popular,  some  of  more  scientific 
character.  There  were  several  organizations  interesting 
themselves  more  or  less  directly  in  one  branch  or  another 
of  natural  science,  but  they  were  unrelated  and  inde- 
pendent. 

The  most  important  among  these  early  enterprises 
was  the  New  York  Academy  of  Science,  the  successor 
of  the  earlier  Lyceum  of  Natural  History.  Under  its 
auspices  Mr.  Silliman  had  delivered  the  seven  lectures 
in  geology  which  produced  a  sensation  in  their  day.  In 
the  course  of  time  the  society  had  accumulated  collections 
of  considerable  value,  but  its  efforts  to  secure  a  perma- 
nent home  for  its  exhibits  failed.  They  finally  found  a 
resting-place  in  the  Medical  College,  which  then  stood 
on  the  present  site  of  Tammany  Hall.  This  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1866,  and  the  collections,  which  were 
uninsured,  perished.  The  friends  of  the  Lyceum  were 
therefore  glad  to  transfer  their  interest  to  the  new  enter- 
prise, among  the  founders  of  which  not  a  few  of  them 
were  represented. 

The  moving  spirit  in  the  new  plan  was  a  young  man 
named  Albert  S.  Bickmore.  At  Cambridge  he  had  been 
a  pupil  of  Louis  Agassiz,  from  whom  he  had  imbibed 

^The  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  in  Philadelphia,  organized  in  1812,  had 
secured  a  building  for  its  collections  as  early  as  1840.  In  Washington  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  had  already  been  almost  twenty-five  years  in  existence. 
Besides  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology  at  Cambridge,  to  which  refer- 
ence has  already  been  made,  Boston  secured  a  museum  in  1864  under  the 
auspices  of  its  Society  of  Natural  History.  Two  years  before,  the  Chicago 
Museum,  established  by  Major  Robert  Kennicutt,  and  continued  under  Mr. 
Simpson,  had  been  seriously  damaged  by  fire. 


THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   141 

his  enthusiasm  for  the  study  of  natural  history.  After 
leaving  Cambridge  he  spent  some  years  in  travel,  visiting 
the  Spice  Islands,  China,  Japan,  and  Siberia.  Before 
leaving  this  country  he  had  conceived  the  idea  of  a  city 
museum,  and  had  talked  it  over  with  Mr.  William  E. 
Dodge,  v^hose  acquaintance  he  had  made  in  New  York, 
and  whose  financial  assistance  made  his  travels  possible. 
On  his  way  home  he  stopped  in  London,  where  he  vis- 
ited Richard  Owen,  and  saw  the  splendid  plans  which 
the  latter  had  drawn  up  for  the  British  Museum  of 
Natural  History.  One  of  the  features  of  these  plans 
was  a  great  central  lecture  hall,  from  which  extended  in 
various  directions  groups  of  buildings  capable  of  indefi- 
nite extension,  a  feature  afterward  incorporated  in  the 
New  York  Museum.  Owen's  plan  was  adopted  by  the 
British  Government  in  a  modified  form  for  the  British 
Museum  of  Natural  History  at  South  Kensington.  The 
study  of  these  plans  revived  Mr.  Bickmore's  enthusiasm 
for  the  Museum  in  New  York,  and  he  returned  to  ad- 
vocate his  scheme  with  all  the  energy  and  enthusiasm  of 
which  he  was  capable.  Mr.  Dodge,  who  at  the  moment 
was  too  occupied  to  assume  the  leadership  of  the  new 
movement,  referred  him  to  Mr.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  in 
whom  he  found  a  friend  and  supporter.  Others  were 
soon  interested  in  the  plan;  among  them  Mr.  Benjamin 
H.  Field,  Mr.  John  David  Wolfe,  Mr.  William  A.  Haines, 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart,  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Choate,  Mr.  How- 
ard Potter,  and  Mr.  Jesup.  Meetings  were  held  from 
house  to  house,  at  which  Mr.  Bickmore  appeared  and 
explained  his  plans.  A  letter  was  written  to  Commissioner 
Green,  signed  by  nineteen  gentlemen,  in  which  his  co- 
operation was  invited.    On  January  19,  1869,  on  motion 


142  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

of  Mr.  Howard  Potter,  a  committee,  consisting  of  Mr. 
Haines,  Mr.  Roosevelt,  and  Mr.  Potter,  was  appointed  to 
draw  up  a  plan  of  organization,  and,  at  a  subsequent 
meeting,  held  on  February  i,  1869,  the  report  was  ac- 
cepted, and  the  organization  effected  by  the  election  of 
Mr.  Wolfe  as  chairman,  and  Mr.  Roosevelt  as  secretary. 
Two  months  later  a  charter  was  secured  from  the  Legis- 
lature, and  the  new  institution  was  formally  launched. 

One  most  fortunate  circumstance  in  connection  with 
the  organization  of  the  Museum  was  the  provision  made 
for  co-operation  between  the  trustees  and  the  city  au- 
thorities. On  the  initiative  of  Mr.  Choate  a  clause  was 
inserted  in  the  charter  which  made  possible  the  erection 
and  maintenance  of  a  building  by  the  city  authorities, 
provided  the  trustees  would  furnish  the  collections. 
The  provisions  of  this  clause  were  carried  into  effect  by 
a  contract  entered  into  by  the  Museum  and  the  city  in 
1877,  under  which  the  two  have  worked  harmoniously 
ever  since.  The  principle  thus  adopted  has  had  an  im- 
portant effect  upon  the  educational  policy  of  New  York. 
The  example  set  by  the  Natural  History  Museum  was 
followed  in  the  case  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art  in  1870,  and  the  Zoological  Park  in  1895.  It  has 
stimulated  private  benevolence,  as  well  as  public  ex- 
penditure, and  has  proved  in  experience  more  effective 
than  either  of  the  alternative  possibilities,  exclusive 
municipal  or  state  control  or  the  relegation  of  the  support 
of  museums  to  unassisted  private  enterprise. 

In  view  of  the  later  development  it  is  interesting  to 
recall  the  ideals  of  the  founders.  Their  aim  was  at  once 
popular  and  scientific.  As  they  themselves  tell  us,  they 
wished  "to  encourage  and  develop  the  study  of  natural 


THE   PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   143 

sciences,"  but  at  the  same  time  and  even  more,  if  we  can 
judge  by  the  early  history,  "  to  advance  the  general  knowl- 
edge of  such  subjects,  and  to  that  end  to  furnish  popular 
instruction  and  recreation."  They  were,  most  of  them, 
laymen  in  science,  and  they  had  the  layman's  interest  in 
the  practical.  A  religious  motive  too  influenced  some  of 
them.  They  wished  the  Museum  "to  be  a  means  of 
teaching  our  youth  to  appreciate  the  wonderful  works  of 
the  Creator."  Those  were  the  days  when  geology  and 
Genesis  waged  battle  royal,  and  this  reassurance  as  to 
their  motives  was  not  so  needless  as  it  now  seems. 

They  did  not  lack  good  advice.  In  the  archives  of  the 
Museum  is  found  an  interesting  letter  from  Baron  Osten 
Sacken,*  whom  they  had  consulted  as  to  their  plans.  It 
gives  us  such  striking  anticipation  of  the  future  develop- 
ment that  it  is  worth  quoting. 

The  mistake  committed  in  the  formation  of  most  of  the 
Cabinets  of  Natural  History  is  that  it  is  not  clearly  de- 
fined, from  the  very  start,  whether  the  foundation  is  in- 
tended for  the  use  of  scientific  men,  or  for  popular  instruc- 
tion and  amusement.  The  two  objects  are  entirely  dis- 
tinct, and  require  diff^erent  means  of  accomplishment.  A 
scientific  collection  ought  to  be  as  complete  as  possible; 
whereas,  in  a  popular  collection,  completeness  is  not  only 
unnecessary,  but  may  be  often  objectionable.  If  you 
present  too  many  objects  to  an  unscientific  public,  the 
danger  is  that  they  will  see  nothing.  If  you  place  before 
a  man,  ignorant  of  natural  history,  an  eagle  and  a  hawk, 
he  will  easily  observe  the  structural  differences  between 
them.  But  if  you  show  him  one  hundred  eagles  and 
hawks  of  different  size,  shape,  and  color,  collected  in  all 
the  different  countries  of  the  world,  your  man  will  glare 

*  The  letter,  which  bears  date  May,  1869,  is  directed  to  Mr.  Blodgett. 


144  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

at  them,  but  see  nothing  and  remember  nothing.  And  such 
is  the  effect  produced  on  the  pubHc  generally  by  large 
collections  such  as  those  of  the  British  Museum,  of  the  Ber- 
lin Museum,  etc.  Instead  of  displaying  the  specimens 
in  the  most  advantageous  light,  in  the  most  striking  posi- 
tion, such  collections,  from  the  multiplicity  of  objects 
and  the  consequent  want  of  space,  are  obliged  to  crowd 
them  as  much  as  possible.  Hundreds  of  specimens  are 
crowded  in  a  comparatively  narrow  space,  without  suffi- 
cient indication  of  the  division  in  species,  genera  and 
families.  A  walk  through  a  long  suite  of  halls,  thus  filled, 
affords  more  fatigue  than  amusement  or  instruction. 

In  forming  a  collection  of  Natural  History  in  New 
York,  let  it  therefore  be  decided  from  the  very  beginning, 
whether  it  is  intended  for  the  benefit  of  scientific  men,  or 
of  the  unscientific  public. 

I  assume  that  what  is  needed  now  is  a  collection  for  the 
instruction  and  amusement  of  the  pubHc  at  large. 

On  such  a  premise  I  would  propose  to  form  a  collec- 
tion of  North  American  mammals  and  birds,  and  to  be- 
gin with  the  most  common  ones.  Let  it  be  presented  to 
the  eye  of  the  public  in  the  most  instructive  and  attractive 
manner;  let  the  names  be  distinctly  written,  the  scientific 
divisions  in  families  and  orders  clearly  indicated;  the 
specimens  not  too  crowded.  Let  the  different  species 
appear,  as  much  as  possible,  surrounded  by  the  objects 
connected  with  their  existence;  birds,  for  instance,  with 
their  food,  their  nests,  their  eggs,  etc.  Let  everything 
be  done  to  illustrate  the  share  of  the  animal  in  the  econo- 
my of  nature.  Such  is  my  idea  of  an  instructive  popular 
collection. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Baron  Sacken  regards  the  ideal 
of  a  scientific  and  of  a  popular  museum  as  mutually  ex- 
clusive, and  urges  his  correspondents  to  make  choice 
between  them.  This,  fortunately,  they  were  not  willing 
to  do,  and  the  event  has  proved  them  in  the  right. 


THE   PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   145 

For  the  present,  however,  there  was  more  than  enough 
to  occupy  them  with  the  demands  of  the  immediate  present. 
There  were  collections  to  be  secured  and  mounted;  there 
was  a  place  of  exhibition  to  be  provided,  a  staff  to  be 
organized,  and  financial  support  to  be  secured.  During 
the  first  year  1^44,500  was  subscribed.  Professor  Bick- 
more,  who  had  been  indefatigable  in  his  labors,  both  in 
securing  subscriptions  and  in  arousing  interest,  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent.  Several  large  collections  were 
purchased,  notably  the  Elliott  collection  of  birds,  the 
Maximilian  collection  of  mammals  and  birds,  and  the 
collections  of  mammals  and  birds  of  the  French  natural- 
ists Verreaux  and  Vedray.  A  temporary  place  of  exhibi- 
tion was  secured  in  Cooper  Union,  and  later  in  the  Ar- 
senal. In  1 87 1  a  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means  was 
appointed  to  mature  plans  for  increasing  the  regular 
support  of  the  Museum,  and  in  the  following  year,  a 
Committee  on  Permanent  Site.  Mr.  Jesup  was  a  member 
of  both  of  these  committees,  as  well  as  of  the  Executive 
and  the  Auditing  Committees. 

In  1 87 1  the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means  reported 
a  plan  for  putting  the  finances  of  the  institution  on  a 
sound  basis.  This  contemplated  raising  a  permanent 
fund  of  fooOjOOO.  A  system  of  graded  memberships  was 
devised,  by  which  the  payment  of  ;?250  constituted  a 
life  member,  j^ioo  an  honorary  member,  while  the  pay- 
ment of  ;?io  yearly  made  one  an  annual  member.  Under 
this  plan  the  contributions  for  1871  reached  over  foo,ooo, 
an  increase  of ;?  15,000  over  the  previous  year. 

The  task  of  the  Committee  on  Site,  which  was  ap- 
pointed in  the  following  year,  proved  more  difficult.  The 
quarters  occupied  in  the  Arsenal  were  inconvenient  and 


146  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

ill  fitted,  and  the  need  of  a  permanent  home  was  im- 
perative, but  it  was  not  easy  to  decide  where  this  should 
be.  The  Park  Commissioners  were  in  favor  of  granting 
a  site  in  the  Park,  under  the  Act  passed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture on  April  5,  1871,  and  several  different  locations  were 
considered.  At  one  time  the  Commissioners  offered  the 
site  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Park  now  occupied  by  the 
Museum  of  Art,  but  later,  much  to  the  disappointment 
of  the  Museum  Committee,  they  changed  their  minds 
and  assigned  to  them  instead  a  region  to  the  west  of  the 
Park  bounded  by  Seventy-seventh  Street  on  the  south  and 
Eighty-first  Street  on  the  north,  then  known  as  Manhat- 
tan Park.  It  had  originally  been  designed  for  a  Zoo- 
logical Park,  but  had  been  abandoned,  as  it  could  not  be 
drained. 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  anything  more  desolate  than 
the  appearance  this  park  presented  in  1872.  "The 
region  around  was  an  isolated  district  in  transitu  to 
something  permanent  and  homogeneous.  It  combined 
in  its  pictorial  aspects  several  discordant  yet  picturesque 
elements.  It  embraced  old  farms,  ruined  landmarks  of 
ancient  New  York,  brand-new  stores,  and  the  most 
sanitary  of  modern  tenements,  bewildering  masses  of 
hovels  clustered  together  over  knobs  and  rocky  ledges, 
and  pretty  kitchen  gardens  lying  in  its  deep  depressions."  ^ 
It  is  not  surprising  that  the  trustees  were  discouraged, 
and  to  Mr.  Jesup,  in  particular,  who  had  given  much 
time  and  thought  to  the  matter,  the  outcome  was  a  great 
disappointment. 

On  May  17,  1872,  President  Wolfe  died.     He  was  suc- 

*  The  quotation  is  from  Professor  Gratacap's  unpublished  history  of  the 
Museum. 


THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   147 

ceeded  by  Mr.  Robert  L.  Stuart.  Before  he  had  been  in 
office  for  a  year,  the  financial  panic  of  1873  swept  over 
the  country,  and  the  plans  of  the  trustees  received  an 
unexpected  and  most  unwelcome  setback.  Contribu- 
tions fell  off,  promises  of  support,  given  in  good  faith, 
were  withdrawn,  and  instead  of  the  rapid  progress  which 
had  been  hoped  for  it  proved  difficult  to  hold  the  ground 
which  had  been  gained. 

In  spite  of  difficulties,  however,  the  work  went  steadily 
forward.  The  exhibits  increased  in  number  and  value. 
Miss  Catharine  L.  Wolfe  purchased  the  Jay  conchological 
library  and  collection  of  shells  and  presented  them  to  the 
Museum  in  memory  of  her  father.  Mr.  Witthaus  pre- 
sented his  study  collection  of  Coleoptera.  Specimens  in 
paleontology  were  added,  and  beginnings  made  in  archae- 
ology and  ethnology.  The  James  Hall  collection  of  fos- 
sils, the  largest  in  the  country,  the  fruit  of  the  geological 
survey  of  the  State,  was  secured  by  purchase.  The 
difficulty  was  to  know  what  to  do  with  the  collections 
when  they  arrived.  There  were  no  proper  facilities  for 
exhibition,  and  the  staff  was  inadequate  and  overworked. 
Professor  Bickmore  was  indefatigable,  but  he  could  not 
do  the  impossible.  **The  time  of  the  curators,"  writes 
Professor  Gratacap,  "was  employed  in  devising  room, 
in  anticipating  additions,  preserving  specimens,  formulat- 
ing needs  and  mechanical  appliances,  renovating,  pack- 
ing and  unpacking.  The  Museum  had  no  laboratory,  no 
publications  and  allied  itself  with  no  professed  body  of 
scientific  students  or  thinkers.  Its  immediate  care  was 
to  keep  its  collections  safe." 

Under  these  trying  circumstances  the  plans  for  the 
new  building  went  forward.     They  had  been  entrusted 


148  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

to  Mr.  Calvert  Vaux,  who  entered  sympathetically  into 
the  ideals  of  the  founders  and  did  his  work  so  well  that 
room  has  been  found  for  all  the  later  development  within 
the  lines  which  he  originally  laid  down.  As  planned  by 
Mr.  Vaux,  the  new  building  was  simply  one  link  in  a 
chain  of  buildings  which,  when  completed,  should  cover 
the  entire  square,  an  ideal  which,  when  we  remember  the 
circumstances  in  which  it  was  conceived,  does  equal 
honor  to  the  faith  of  the  architect  who  designed  and  to  the 
courage  of  the  trustees  who  approved  it.  The^corner- 
stone  was  laid  on  June  2,  1874,  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
audience,  and  addresses  were  made  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  the  Governor  of  the  State,  and  the 
Mayor.  Three  years  later  the  building  was  complete, 
and  most  of  the  collections  were  removed.  In  view  of 
the  distance  of  the  new  site,  however,  it  seemed  wise  to 
leave  a  part  of  the  exhibits  in  the  Arsenal,  where  they 
continued' to  be  visited  by  large  numbers  of  people. 

The  year  1877  may  be  taken  as  the  low-water  mark 
in  the  history  of  the  Museum.  Thereafter  matters  be- 
gan to  improve.  In  this  year  the  contract  was  made  with 
the  city  authorities,  by  which  they  agreed  to  be  responsi- 
ble for  the  provision  and  maintenance  of  the  building. 
In  the  following  year  the  staff  was  reorganized,  but  there 
was  still  much  to  be  done,  and  little  to  do  it  with.  The 
Museum  was  burdened  by  earlier  purchases,  notably  in 
connection  with  the  Hall  collection,  and  it  was  evident 
that  if  it  was  to  fulfil  its  ideal,  some  radical  step  must 
be  taken. 

In  1880  Mr.  Jesup,  as  chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  made  an  exhaustive  report  on  the  condition 
of  the  collections. 


THE   PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   149 

To  Robert  L.  Stuart,  Esq., 

President  of  the  American   Museum    of  Natural 
History. 

Dear  Sir:  In  response  to  your  letter  of  April  13th,  I  re- 
spectfully beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  statements  and 
recommendations  for  the  consideration  of  the  Trustees. 

I  have  carefully  examined  the  collections  of  the  Museum 
both  in  the  new  building  and  at  the  Arsenal. 

In  the  Geological  Department  I  find  that  the  duplicates 
of  the  James  Hall  collection  of  fossils  have  been  selected 
and  divided  into  ten  series  which  are  now  all  catalogued 
and  placed  in  boxes  ready  for  exchange. 

The  Museum  specimens  have  been  arranged  in  the 
exhibition  cases  of  the  Upper  Hall,  but  are  nearly  all 
without  labels,  and  Prof.  Whitfield  is  now  engaged  in  the 
scientific  identification  of  each  specimen  and  preparing 
for  it  a  proper  label  for  public  exhibition.  To  facilitate 
and  economize  his  work  which  will  require  several  years 
to  complete,  I  recommend  that  an  assistant  for  him  be 
employed,  and  that  in  one-fourth  of  the  hall  wooden 
backs  be  placed  in  the  cases  and  the  shelves  be  so  inclined 
that  the  specimens  may  be  seen  to  the  best  advantage. 

I  also  find  that  our  indebtedness  to  Prof.  Hall  for  his 
collections  has,  for  the  past  four  years,  absorbed  nearly  all 
the  moneys  we  have  raised,  and  left  the  Museum  without 
the  means  of  properly  improving  and  labelling  the  speci- 
mens in  other  departments,  and  that  in  our  great  collec- 
tion of  birds  in  the  Main  Hall  many  of  the  specimens  of 
the  Maximilian  Collection  remain  upon  the  rude  stands 
on  which  they  were  placed  when  the  collection  was  pur- 
chased in  Germany,  and  that  these  perches  and  stands 
are  a  serious  blemish  upon  our  otherwise  attractive  ex- 
hibition in  that  Hall. 

From  the  many  valuable  bird  skins  presented  by  Mr. 
D.  G.  Elliott  and  others,  and  received  in  exchange  from 
the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Mr.  Elliott  and  Professor 
Ridgway  of  the  Smithsonian  have  selected   about   600, 


I50  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

which  if  mounted  would  form  a  very  important  addition 
to  the  specimens  in  the  Main  Hall,  particularly  to  the  Birds 
of  North  America. 

I  therefore  recommend  that  these  birds  be  mounted 
and  placed  on  exhibition,  that  those  of  the  Maximilian 
Collection,  which  require  it,  be  transferred  to  suitable 
stands;  that  the  South  American  birds  be  properly  la- 
belled. 

In  regard  to  the  Mammals  in  the  lower  Hall  I  recom- 
mend that  the  specimens  purchased  of  Prince  Maximilian, 
that  need  it,  be  remounted  and  provided  with  suitable 
stands,  and  all  the  specimens,  including  the  skeletons,  be 
supplied  with  new  labels. 

At  my  request  our  Superintendent  has  made  a  careful 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  making  the  improvements  of  the 
collections  in  the  new  building  as  herein  suggested.  I 
regard  these  recommendations  as  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  good  repute  of  the  Museum.  Any  of  the  Trustees, 
by  visiting  the  Museum  and  examining  it  carefully,  will 
find  that  we  have  a  grand  collection  of  birds  and  mammals, 
but  the  want  of  means  and  the  incessant  calls  upon  the 
Trustees  and  the  Superintendent  has  heretofore  pre- 
vented these  departments  of  the  Museum  from  being 
properly  improved.  For  the  credit  of  the  Museum  and 
that  of  the  City  I  hope  that  the  Trustees  will  respond  to  the 
appeal .  made  for  the  necessary  funds,  as  herein  stated, 
to  place  the  Museum  in  a  presentable  shape. 

Regarding  the  Arsenal,  I  would  call  the  attention  of 
the  Board  to  the  deplorable  state  of  the  building.  It  is 
simply  shabby  in  the  extreme.  It  needs  painting  and 
cleaning  and  overhauling.  This  being  done,  I  believe 
it  would  be  well  and  aptly  utilized  by  a  careful  and  ju- 
dicious selection  of  woods,  building  stones,  minerals  and 
other  economic  products  of  our  country,  which  could  be 
displayed  here  with  great  facility,  and  thus  benefit  by 
its  accessibility  and  attractiveness  the  common  people, 
who  take  such  a  deep  interest  in  the  economic  arts. 


THE   PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   151 

The  present  collections  in  the  Arsenal  are  not  to  be 
commended,  but  there  are  some  things  there  that  should 
be  carefully  preserved;  and  to  do  this  would  require  some 
expenditure. 

If  this  money  can  be  raised  I  should  consider  it  a 
great  advantage  to  the  Museum.  .  .  .  Unless  something 
can  be  done  to  improve  the  attractiveness  of  the  build- 
ing and  the  bettering  of  the  condition  of  the  collections  we 
have  in  the  Arsenal,  I  see  no  object  at  all  in  maintain- 
ing it. 

At  the  same  time,  to  give  the  Trustees  some  idea  of  the 
difference  in  the  location  I  would  state  that  on  my  visit 
to  the  Arsenal  there  were  at  least  twice  as  many  visitors 
looking  at  the  remnants  of  the  old  collections  as  there  were 
in  the  main  building  on  my  visit  there. 
Yours  truly, 

(Signed)  Morris  K.  Jesup, 
Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee, 

This  report  brings  graphically  before  us  the  conditions 
which  confronted  Mr.  Jesup  when  in  1881  he  succeeded 
Mr.  Stuart  as  President  of  the  Museum.  They  were  such 
as  might  well  have  daunted  a  less  resolute  spirit.  The 
site  of  the  new  building  was  remote  from  its  natural  con- 
stituency; its  surroundings  were  unattractive,  and  indeed 
desolate.  Its  collections  were  imperfectly  mounted  and 
only  partially  displayed.  Its  staff  was  inadequate  in  num- 
bers; its  financial  support  was  insufficient  and  uncertain. 
It  was  evident  that  if  things  were  to  be  altered  there  was 
need  of  an  intelligent  plan,  and  energy  and  perseverance 
in  following  it  out. 

These  qualities  Mr.  Jesup  supplied.  He  was  singu- 
larly fitted  by  his  previous  training  for  his  new  position. 
For  one  thing  he  had  accurate  knowledge  of  the  situa- 
tion.    His   service  on   the  various   committees,   already 


152  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

described,  had  acquainted  him  with  the  history  of  the 
Museum  in  all  its  details.  He  understood  its  finances, 
he  had  studied  its  collections,  he  was  personally  acquainted 
with  its  staff  and  with  the  leading  members  of  its  con- 
stituency. He  did  not  need  to  depend  upon  the  infor- 
mation of  others  for  the  knowledge  on  which  to  base 
his  policy. 

His  business  training  too  stood  him  in  good  stead.  The 
problem  before  the  Museum  was  largely  financial.  Large 
sums  of  money  must  be  raised  and  wisely  and  economi- 
cally expended.  No  one  could  hope  to  deal  with  the  sit- 
uation who  had  not  learned  from  personal  experience  both 
how  to  make  and  how  to  spend  money.  Mr.  Jesup 
had  learned  both. 

Of  a  third  qualification  the  present  writer  would  speak 
with  more  hesitancy.  Mr.  Jesup  was  a  man  without 
scientific  training.  This  might  seem  indeed  to  be  an 
obstacle  rather  than  a  qualification  for  the  presidency  of 
a  museum;  yet,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  proved  one  of  the 
most  important  elements  in  Mr.  Jesup's  success.  It 
helped  him  to  hold  a  due  proportion  between  the  various 
objects  which  he  sought  to  attain.  It  was  a  bond  of 
union  between  him  and  the  public  whom  the  Museum 
was  primarily  designed  to  serve.  It  helped  him  to  keep 
steadily  before  his  eyes  and  the  eyes  of  the  staff  the  prac- 
tical ends  to  be  accomplished.  On  this  point  I  may  be 
allowed  to  quote  Professor  Bumpus,  the  Director  of  the 
Museum,  who  will  not  be  suspected  of  being  prejudiced 
against  the  value  of  a  scientific  training: 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  in  1881  the  newly  elected 
President,  although  in  sympathy  with  science,  had  re- 


THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM   153 

ceived  no  scientific  training.  He  began  his  duties,  un- 
trammelled by  tradition.  He  was  the  advocate  of  no  es- 
tablished school  or  method;  his  desire  was  merely  that 
the  Museum  should  be  financially  sound;  that  established 
business  methods  should  obtain,  and  that  the  institution 
should  actively  minister  to  the  people  of  the  city.  The 
impelling  motive  of  his  entire  administration  was  the  de- 
sire that  the  Museum  should  be  instructive.  No  inter- 
view with  the  Museum  officers  was  complete  unless  it 
enjoined  consideration  of  the  needs  of  the  visiting  public. 
His  oft  repeated  remark,  "  I  am  a  plain,  unscientific  busi- 
ness man;  I  want  the  exhibits  to  be  labelled  so  that  I 
can  understand  them,  and  then  I  shall  feel  sure  that  others 
can  understand,"  summed  up  his  prime  desire.  Labels 
with  stilted  scientific  verbiage  were  to  him  as  out  of  place 
in  a  public  exhibition  hall  as  popular  treatises  on  nature 
study  are  unfitted  for  the  research  laboratory. 


Mr.  Jesup  gave  to  the  Museum  four  things,  time, 
money,  thought,  and  enthusiasm,  and  to  this  combina- 
tion the  success  of  his  administration  is  due. 

In  the  first  place  he  gave  his  time.  For  many  years  he 
followed  all  the  details  of  administration  personally. 
He  was  not  content  to  perform  the  official  duties  which  his 
presidency  required.  He  spent  much  time  in  the  rooms 
watching  the  visitors  and  conversing  with  them.  He 
would  ask  them  what  they  had  learned  from  this  or  that 
exhibit,  or  whether  they  had  found  such  and  such  a 
lecture  profitable.  He  studied  the  labels  critically,  com- 
menting favorably  upon  those  which  he  understood, 
and  suggesting  changes  when  they  seemed  to  him  pedan- 
tic or  obscure.  He  often  read  the  proof  of  matter  designed 
for  publication  before  it  appeared.  He  welcomed  the 
expression  of  opinions  from  his  friends,  or  indeed  from 


154  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

any  source  which  could  give  him  light  as  to  the  extent 
to  which  the  Museum  was  realizing  its  opportunities.  In 
short,  he  brought  to  the  service  of  the  institution  a  strong 
personality,  with  independent  convictions,  inexhaustible 
interest,  and  indefatigable  energy. 

In  the  second  place,  he  gave  money.  This  was  in- 
deed indispensable  in  the  situation  in  which  he  found 
himself.  The  contract  with  the  city  required  that  the 
trustees  should  furnish  the  specimens  which  the  city 
was  to  house.  It  was  evident,  then,  that  what  could  be 
expected  from  the  city  would  depend  upon  the  liberality 
of  the  trustees.  During  the  first  twelve  years  they  had 
subscribed  from  their  own  means  more  than  ;^  100,000  for 
the  purchase  of  specimens,  but  it  was  evident  that  in  the 
future  very  much  larger  sums  would  be  needed.  Mr. 
Jesup  set  the  example  of  liberahty.  It  was  his  custom 
when  proposing  to  his  colleagues  any  plan  which  called 
for  expenditure  on  their  part,  to  put  his  own  name  at 
the  head  of  the  subscription  list.  During  the  twenty- 
nine  years  of  his  presidency  his  contributions  to  the 
Museum  aggregated  the  sum  of  ;?450,ooo. 

More  important  still,  he  gave  thought.  He  never 
let  the  present  need  blind  him  to  the  future  possibility. 
He  was  always  looking  ahead  and,  as  he  looked,  the 
lines  of  the  Museum  that  was  to  be  took  shape  before 
his  eyes.  "It  is  exceedingly  improbable,"  says  Professor 
Bumpus,  "that  Mr.  Jesup  or  any  of  his  associates  at  the 
beginning  conceived  of  an  institution  substantially  dif- 
ferent from  the  natural  history  museums  which  they  had 
visited  in  London,  Paris,  Washington,  or  elsewhere. 
Certainly  the  early  growth  of  the  Museum  was  imitative 
rather    than    inventive.      Collections    were    purchased. 


THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  MUSEUM    155 

placed  in  cases,  and  people  came,  looked  and  passed 
on."  In  the  nature  of  the  case  it  could  not  be  otherwise, 
but  about  the  time  of  Mr.  Jesup's  accession  to  the  presi- 
dency conditions  had  changed.  It  was  possible  to  plan 
more  intelligently;   indeed,  it  was  necessary  to  do  so. 

Finally,  Mr.  Jesup  brought  to  his  new  position  an 
abounding  enthusiasm.  He  believed  that  the  work 
to  which  he  had  set  his  hand  was  worth  while,  and  he 
was  determined  to  let  no  obstacle  daunt  him  which  stood 
in  the  way  of  its  accomplishment.  His  previous  expe- 
rience had  taught  him  that  difficulties  were  made  to  be 
overcome.  Difficulties,  to  be  sure,  were  here  in  plenty. 
It  was  his  determination  to  show  that  they  were  not  in- 
superable. How  he  succeeded  must  be  left  to  the  next 
chapter  to  show. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  FRIEND  OF   EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE 

npHE  broad  spirit  in  which  Mr.  Jesup  approached  his 
•*■  new  duties  is  well  shown  by  the  following  extract 
from  the  report  which  he  made  to  the  trustees  in  1884, 
three  years  after  he  assumed  the  presidency.  After  call- 
ing attention  to  the  need  of  an  assured  annual  income  for 
the  Museum  from  an  endowment  fund,  and  the  disad- 
vantages under  which  it  labored  in  this  respect,  in  com- 
parison with  the  great  museums  on  the  Continent  which 
are  chiefly  sustained  by  public  funds,  he  goes  on  to  say 
that  it  is  impossible  to  reckon  the  value  of  such  work 
as  the  Museum  is  doing,  in  terms  of  dollars  and  cents. 
There  is  another  factor  in  science,  not  so  often  recog- 
nized, and  that  is  its  "ameliorating  power,  its  educational 
force,  and  the  scope  it  affords  the  higher  faculties  of 
man.  Commercial  values  and  purely  scientific  values 
meet  often  on  common  ground.  But  their  essential  life 
belongs  to  opposite  poles.  To  some  it  appears  necessary 
to  vindicate  the  employment  of  large  amounts  of  public 
money,  in  such  an  institution  as  that  which  you  control, 
from  the  charge  of  extravagance.  Their  ideas  of  value 
appear  to  be  limited  to  that  which  is  exchangeable  in  the 
current  coin  of  the  market,  but  the  highest  results  of 

156 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   157 

character  and  life  offer  something  which  cannot  be 
weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  merchant,  be  he  ever  so 
wise  in  his  generation. 

"The  advantage  of  your  Museum  to  the  multitude, 
shut  up  within  stone  walls,  is  that  it  aflFords  opportunity 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  beauty  of  natural  objects 
and  to  study  them  in  their  usual  aspects  and  conditions, 
and,  out  of  the  great  number  who  look  on  vaguely  and  ex- 
perience only  the  healthful  excitement  of  a  natural  curi- 
osity, one  here  and  there  may  be  found  endowed  with 
special  aptitude  and  tastes,  perhaps  some  child  of  genius 
whose  susceptibilities  and  faculties,  once  aroused  and 
quickened,  will  repay  your  expenditure  a  thousandfold." 

These  words  are  the  more  significant,  coming  from 
one  whose  business  training  had  taught  him  the  value 
of  dollars  and  cents.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  year 
in  which  they  were  spoken,  1884,  witnessed  Mr.  Jesup's 
own  decision  to  retire  from  active  business,  that  he  might 
give  himself  with  undivided  energy  to  the  pursuit  of  the 
values  of  the  spirit.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  his 
increasing  interest  in  the  Museum  and  his  growing  sense 
of  its  importance  was  one  of  the  controlling  factors  which 
led  him  to  this  decision. 

"The  two  grandly  distinctive  features  of  Mr.  Jesup's 
administration,"  writes  President  Osborn,  "were,  first, 
the  desire  to  popularize  science  through  the  arrange- 
ment and  exhibition  of  collections  in  such  a  simple  and 
attractive  manner  as  to  render  them  intelligible  to  all 
visitors;  and  secondly,  his  recognition  that  at  the  founda- 
tion of  popular  science  is  pure  science,  and  his  determi- 
nation, which  increased  with  advancing  years,  that  the 
Museum  should  be  as  famous  for  its  scientific  research 


158  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

and  explorations  as  for  its  popular  exhibitions  of  educa- 
tional work." 

It  is  not  my  purpose  here  to  tell  the  story  of  Mr.  Jesup's 
administration  in  detail,  but  only  to  touch  upon  the 
salient  points  which  illustrate  his  character  and  ideals. 
In  doing  this,  it  will  be  convenient  to  depart  from  the 
chronological  order  and  take  up  in  succession  the  chief 
problems  by  which  he  was  confronted.  These  problems 
were  of  two  kinds,  primary  and  secondary.  The  primary 
problems  had  to  do  with  the  constituent  elements  in  the 
make-up  of  the  Museum;  the  secondary,  with  their 
proper  co-ordination  and  use. 

There  are  four  ingredients  which  go  to  make  up  a 
successful  museum:  money,  men,  exhibits,  and  a  place 
in  which  to  show  them.  There  are  four  conditions  which 
determine  the  effective  use  of  these  ingredients.  The 
exhibits  must  be  properly  mounted  and  displayed.  There 
must  be  people  to  see  them.  They  must  be  so  inter- 
preted as  to  make  apparent  their  true  place  in  the  sys- 
tem of  human  knowledge,  and  their  true  contribution  to 
human  welfare;  and  finally,  they  must  be  so  related 
to  other  exhibits  of  a  similar  kind  as  to  avoid  needless 
waste  and  duplication  and  to  secure  the  maximum  of 
social  efficiency.  The  primary  problems,  then,  are  those 
of  finance,  personnel,  acquisition,  and  housing.  The  sec- 
ondary problems  are  those  of  installation,  advertising,  re- 
search, and  co-operation.  Mr.  Jesup's  administration  met 
all  these  problems  and  contributed  notably  to  their  so- 
lution. It  will  be  convenient  in  what  follows  to  consider 
them  in  turn. 

The  first  of  the  primary  problems  to  engage  Mr. 
Jesup's  attention  was  the  financial  problem.    He  saw  that 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   159 

if  the  Museum  was  to  fulfil  its  true  function  in  the  life 
of  the  community  it  must  have  an  assured  income.  There 
must  be  money  enough  to  buy  and  install  the  necessary 
collections,  to  mount  and  catalogue  those  that  were  given, 
and  to  pay  the  salaries  of  a  staff  cornpetent  to  do  this  work 
in  an  adequate  and  satisfactory  way. 

This  was  far  from  the  case  when  he  assumed  the  pres- 
idency. The  trustees,  who  in  1879  had  had  to  put  their 
hands  in  their  pockets  to  make  up  a  deficit  of  ;?26,ooo, 
had  passed  a  resolution  "that  hereafter  no  indebtedness 
of  any  kind  should  be  incurred  for  the  purchase  of  any 
collection  or  for  any  other  purpose,  without  first  provid- 
ing the  money  to  pay  for  the  same."  The  application 
of  this  rule  seriously  embarrassed  the  administration. 
It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  funds  were  secured 
to  meet  the  necessary  expenses.  By  the  contract  of 
1877  the  city  had  agreed  to  contribute  to  the  maintenance 
of  the  building,  but  the  contribution  was  small,  first 
amounting  to  only  ^9,000  a  year.  During  the  eleven 
years  from  1871  to  1882,  about  ;?50,ooo  was  secured  from 
membership  dues  under  the  plan  of  1871,  but  there  was 
no  permanent  endowment  fund,  and  the  sum  received 
was  wholly  inadequate. 

Mr.  Jesup's  experience  as  Chairman  of  the  Finance 
Committee  had  convinced  him  that  the  only  adequate 
solution  of  the  Museum's  problem  was  the  establish- 
ment of  a  permanent  endowment  fund.  As  early  as  1880 
this  plan  had  been  urged  upon  the  Board  by  Mr.  Con- 
stable, who  proposed  that  an  attempt  should  be  made  to 
create  a  permanent  fund  of  ;?30o,ooo,  of  which  the  interest 
should  be  available  for  running  expenses.  No  action  was 
taken  on  this  proposal  at  the  time.     Three  years  later, 


i6o  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

however,  a  bequest  of  ;?5,ooo  from  the  estate  of  Mr. 
William  E.  Dodge,  Sr.,  made  a  beginning  possible,  and  a 
permanent  endowment  fund  was  formally  established 
by  vote  of  the  trustees.  The  example  set  by  Mr.  Dodge 
was  followed  by  others.  Mr.  Jesup  himself  contributed 
liberally  and,  under  his  fostering  care,  the  fund  grew 
until  at  the  present  time  it  amounts  to  over  ;g2,ooo,ooo. 

The  contributions  of  the  city  had  grown  correspond- 
ingly. Progress  in  this  direction  was  at  first  slow.  In 
1875  the  Museum  received  ;?i,290;  in  1876,  ;?i,537.  Ten 
years  later  the  city's  contribution  was  ;?  14,920;  in  1891 
it  was  ;?25,ooo.  In  recent  years  the  growth  has  been  much 
more  rapid.  The  strides  made  by  the  Museum  in  pubhc 
favor,  the  enormous  growth  of  its  buildings  and  its  col- 
lections, have  vastly  increased  the  expense  of  maintenance. 
In  1900  the  city  contributed  ;?  120,000.  The  appropriation 
for  last  year  was  ;?  180,000. 

The  liberality  of  the  trustees  kept  pace  with  the  in- 
creasing contributions  of  the  city.  Apart  from  the  en- 
dowment fund,  already  mentioned,  and  the  gifts  of  in- 
dividuals for  special  collections,  presently  to  be  described, 
it  is  estimated  that  up  to  the  present  time  the  trustees 
and  other  friends  have  contributed  to  the  expenses  of  the 
Museum,  exclusive  of  the  collections,  ^1,531,257.  If 
the  value  of  the  collections  given  be  included,  the  sum 
would  aggregate  a  far  larger  amount. 

But,  important  as  is  money  for  the  success  of  an  insti- 
tution, men  are  even  more  important.  Here  the  progress 
made  under  Mr.  Jesup's  administration  is  notable.  A 
comparison  of  the  report  of  188 1,  the  year  in  which  he  be- 
came President,  with  that  of  1907,  the  year  prior  to  his 
death,  shows  that  whereas  in  the  first  year  the  staff  con- 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   i6i 

sisted  of  but  six  persons,  in  the  latter  it  had  risen  to 
twenty-eight.  In  the  former  case  three  departments  were 
represented;  in  the  latter,  eleven.  Whereas  in  the  former 
case  the  superintendent  of  the  Museum,  Professor  Bick- 
more,  added  to  his  duties  as  general  executive  the  charge 
of  two  departments,  those  of  ethnology  and  of  public  in- 
struction, the  Museum  now  has  a  director  who  gives  his 
entire  time  to  the  executive  management  of  the  work, 
while  some  of  the  individual  departments  are  represented 
by  no  less  than  four  men. 

This  increase  in  numbers  was  accompanied  by  a  corre- 
sponding change  in  the  character  and  functions  of  the 
staff.  With  a  larger  force,  greater  differentiation  was 
possible.  New  departments  were  added  and  co-ordi- 
nated with  the  existing  ones  on  a  scientific  principle.* 
As  the  value  of  the  collections  increased  and  the  variety 
of  fields  covered  multiplied,  it  became  necessary  to  secure 
the  services  of  speciahsts  in  order  to  insure  the  proper  use 
of  the  materials,  and  the  scientific  standing  of  the  staff 
steadily  increased.  With  the  election  on  Feb.  ii,  1901, 
to  the  second  vice-presidency,  of  Professor  Henry  Fairfield 
Osborn  this  tendency  was  powerfully  reinforced.  As  one 
of  the  leading  naturalists  of  the  country.  Professor  Os- 
born not  only  directed  the  activities  and  administered  the 
explorations  of  what  had  become  easily  one  of  the  most 
important  departments  of  the  Museum,  but  his  official 
position  brought  him  into  intimate  relations  with  Mr. 
Jesup,  and  in  this  capacity  he  exercised  a  powerful 
influence  upon  the  policy  of  the  institution.     Until  the 

*  Professor  Bickmore,  who  had  long  been  doing  the  work  of  several  men, 
was  relieved  of  his  extra  duties,  and  concentrated  his  attention  more  and  more 
upon  the  work  of  public  instruction,  in  which  from  the  first  his  interest  had 
been  primarily  engaged. 


i62  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

appointment  of  Professor  Bumpus  in  1902  he  was  not  only 
the  logical  scientific  adviser  of  the  President,  but  became 
in  a  very  real  sense  involved  with  him  in  the  government 
of  the  Museum,  to  the  presidency  of  which  he  has  since 
so  fitly  succeeded. 

But  the  growing  responsibilities  involved  in  the  Mu- 
seum's administration  soon  made  it  apparent  that  a  new 
executive  officer  was  needed.  Professor  Osborn's  scien- 
tific duties  made  constantly  increasing  demands  upon 
his  time,  and  Mr.  Jesup,  who  had  hitherto  followed  all 
the  details  of  the  Museum's  administration  personally, 
found  his  work  increasingly  difficult,  in  view  of  the  many 
public  duties  which  were  crowding  upon  him.  Accord- 
ingly, on  Jan.  17,  1902,  at  the  suggestion  of  Professor 
Osborn,  the  office  of  Director  was  created  by  the  Trus- 
tees, and  Professor  Hermon  Carey  Bumpus,  who  for- 
merly had  been  Professor  of  Zoology  in  Brown  Univer- 
sity, and  who  had  been  during  the  previous  year  assistant 
to  the  President,  was  appointed  to  the  position.  Professor 
Bumpus's  appointment  proved  a  great  relief  to  Mr.  Jesup. 
He  assumed  full  charge  of  the  details  of  administration 
and  left  Professor  Osborn  and  Mr.  Jesup  himself  free  for 
the  important  work  which  properly  belonged  to  the  posi- 
tions they  held. 

But  the  true  progress  of  the  Museum  during  the  period 
under  review  can  only  be  measured  when  we  consider  the 
increase  of  its  collections.  When  it  is  recalled  that  in 
1 88 1  all  the  exhibits  of  the  Museum,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  specimens  left  on  deposit  in  the  Arsenal,  were 
displayed  in  a  single  building  one  hundred  and  seventy 
feet  long  by  sixty  wide,  and  that  they  now  fill  more  than 
five  times  the  space,  some  idea  of  this  progress  can  be 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   163 

obtained.  Nor  was  the  growth  simply  one  of  quantity. 
Important  new  departments  have  been  created,  among 
others,  the  department  of  vertebrate  paleontology.  Great 
collections  have  been  added  by  purchase  or  gift,  and 
existing  collections  completed  and  enlarged  by  the  secur- 
ing of  needed  specimens.  Most  important  of  all,  the 
whole  has  been  co-ordinated  on  a  scientific  plan  which 
covers  the  entire  field  of  natural  history,  and  systematic 
exploration  undertaken  by  the  Museum  in  order  to  secure 
the  specimens  which  are  needed  to  fill  the  gaps  which 
still  remain. 

This  notable  progress  was  possible  only  through  the 
willing  co-operation  of  many  individuals.  Mr.  J.  Pier- 
pont  Morgan  gave  the  collection  of  gems  which  bears 
his  name;  the  Duke  of  Loubat  valuable  collections  of 
Mexican  antiquities.  Others  contributed  no  less  gen- 
erously. To  rehearse  all  these  gifts  would  be  to  retell 
the  history  of  the  Museum  in  detail.  Here  we  are  con- 
cerned only  with  Mr.  Jesup's  share  of  this  splendid  rec- 
ord of  progress. 

Almost  the  first  step  taken  by  Mr.  Jesup  upon  his 
accession  to  the  presidency  was  the  creation  at  his  own 
expense  of  an  economic  department  having  in  view  a 
collection  of  all  the  woods  in  the  United  States  which  could 
be  devoted  to  building  and  manufacturing  purposes.  In 
Mr.  Jesup's  original  plan  the  formation  of  this  collection 
was  but  one  step  in  a  policy  which  was  ultimately  designed 
to  include  the  mineral  kingdom  as  well.^     But  he  soon 

*  The  plan  for  the  geological  section  is  thus  outlined  in  the  Report  of  1880. 
"This  department  shall  exhibit  in  all  their  varieties  the  granites,  sandstones, 
limestones,  marbles,  slates,  clays  for  brick  and  tile,  and  sands  for  glass,  that 
are  known  in  America.  We  are  in  correspondence  with  Dr.  George  W.  Hawes, 
who  with  the  aid  of  a  large  corps  of  prominent  geologists,  is  preparing  a  Report 


i64  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

found  that  he  had  quite  enough  on  his  hands  with  what 
he  had  undertaken.  There  proved  to  be  more  woods  in 
the  country  than  Mr.  Jesup  or  any  of  his  advisers  had 
supposed,  and  not  only  was  the  cost  of  the  enterprise 
much  greater  than  had  been  originally  contemplated,  but 
the  demands  made  upon  the  Museum  for  space  strained 
its  resources  almost  to  the  breaking-point.  Under  the 
circumstances  it  was  necessary  to  postpone  the  other 
part  of  the  programme,  which,  even  to  this  day,  remains 
an  ideal  for  the  future. 

The  collection  of  woods,  on  the  other  hand,  grew  stead- 
ily until  it  attained  its  present  splendid  proportions.  The 
idea  was  suggested  to  Mr.  Jesup  in  connection  with  the 
preparation  of  the  tenth  census  under  General  Francis  A. 
Walker.  Its  execution  he  entrusted  to  Professor  Charles 
S.  Sargent,  of  Brookline,  Massachusetts,  who  for  many 
years  acted  as  his  agent  in  the  collection  of  the  specimens. 
On  their  arrival  at  the  Museum  they  were  prepared  for 
exhibition  by  S.  T.  Dill,  who  carefully  restored  the  de- 
cayed portions.  The  trunks  were,  on  an  average,  six 
feet  high  and  were  cut  so  as  to  show  vertical,  horizontal, 
and  oblique  sections,  both  in  the  natural  and  in  the  pol- 
ished state.  Beside  every  tree  was  shown  an  outline  map 
of  the  United   States,  giving  the  geographical  distribu- 

for  the  Census  upon  the  quarries  and  ornamental  and  building  stones  of  our 
country,  and  we  anticipate  securing  his  active  co-operation  in  gathering  and 
preparing  for  exhibition  the  exhaustive  series  of  specimens  we  desire.  These 
collections  will  be  so  amply  and  scientifically  labelled  and  illustrated  that 
it  will  be  a  source  of  instruction  for  the  artisan  and  laboring  classes  of  our 
citizens,  and  the  pupils  of  our  public  schools  whom  it  is  our  special  desire  to 
benefit. 

"It  will  be  supplemented  by  a  gathering  of  all  the  maps,  plans  and  photographic 
views,  that  have  yet  been  published  on  these  subjects,  and  such  valuable  data 
will  be  accessible  to  all  desiring  detailed  information,  as  builders,  architects  or 
persons  erecting  private  dwellings." 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   165 

tion  of  the  species  to  which  it  was  attached,  while  an- 
nexed tables  recorded  the  physical  structure  of  the  tree  in 
respect  to  density,  gravity,  resistance  to  pressure,  and 
chemical  composition.  Above  each  specimen  hangs  a 
colored  sketch  of  the  leaf,  flower  and  fruit,  executed  by 
Mrs.  Sargent,  so  that  in  the  briefest  possible  compass  all 
possible  knowledge  is  afforded  the  eye  of  the  spectator. 
In  this  notable  collection  are  represented  all  the  great 
areas  of  the  forest  distribution  of  the  United  States,  those 
of  the  Atlantic  region  embracing  the  northern  pine  belt, 
the  Southern  maritime  pine  belt,  the  deciduous  forest  of 
the  Mississippi  basin,  the  semi-tropical  forest  of  Florida, 
and  the  Mexican  forest  of  southern  Texas,  as  well  as  the 
great  forests  of  the  Pacific  region  embracing  the  Northern 
forest  and  the  Mexican  forest.  More  than  twenty  years 
have  been  occupied  in  the  making  of  this  collection,  which, 
begun  with  the  opening  years  of  Mr.  Jesup's  admin- 
istration, has  been  practically  completed  only  within  the 
last  five  years. 

"The  formation  of  the  Jesup  Collection  of  North 
American  Woods,*'  writes  Mr.  Sargent,  "was  a  matter 
of  national  importance.  The  preparation  of  this  col- 
lection enabled  us  to  study  the  distribution  of  the  eco- 
nomic value  of  many  trees  which,  before  Mr.  Jesup's 
undertaking,  were  largely  unknown.  I  think  it  can  be 
said  that  this  collection  is  the  finest  representation  of  forest 
wealth  that  exists  in  any  country." 

Through  his  interest  in  this  collection  Mr.  Jesup  was 
led  to  study  the  larger  questions  connected  with  forestry, 
and  his  energetic  advocacy  of  the  work  of  forest  preserva- 
tion, to  which  we  have  already  referred,  was  the  direct 
outcome  of  this  interest.     "Mr.  Jesup,"  continues  Mr. 


i66  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Sargent,  "certainly  played  an  important  part  in  the 
early  movement  for  the  better  care  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can forests,  and  by  those  who  love  trees  he  will  always 
be  gratefully  remembered." 

An  interesting  offshoot  of  the  collection  of  woods  was 
the  Jesup  Collection  of  Economic  Entomology.  This 
was  begun  in  1899  and  had  for  its  purpose  the  exhibition 
of  specimens  showing  the  nature  and  habits  of  those  in- 
sects which  are  the  natural  enemies  of  forest  and  shade 
trees.  These  specimens  are  arranged  in  groups  showing 
the  life  histories  of  insects,  and  are  illustrated  by  wax 
reproductions  of  their  food  plants  showing  the  injury 
done  to  the  trees  by  the  insects.  The  collection  now 
amounts  to  fifty-three  groups. 

The  second  great  contribution  of  Mr.  Jesup  to  the 
collections  of  the  Museum  was  in  connection  with  the 
department  of  vertebrate  paleontology  which  had  been 
established  in  1891  by  the  appointment  of  Professor 
Osborn  as  curator.  The  researches  of  Marsh  and  of  Cope 
had  aroused  the  interest  of  the  public  in  this  subject  and 
had  revealed  the  presence  in  America  of  a  series  of  ex- 
tinct creatures  ranging  through  the  mesozoic,  and  es- 
pecially the  cretaceous  age,  and  the  tertiary,  and  present- 
ing new  and  luminous  evidence  for  the  doctrine  of  evo- 
lution, while  the  perfection  in  which  they  were  pre- 
served has  made  them  one  of  the  scientific  wonders  of 
the  world.  Professor  Osborn  proposed  to  collect  the 
remains  of  these  extinct  animals,  to  mount  them  more 
perfectly  than  had  ever  been  done  before,  to  study  them 
scientifically,  to  conduct  systematic  exploration  of  the 
regions  in  which  their  fossil  remains  had  been  discovered, 
in  the  hope  of  adding  new  series  to  those  already  known. 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE    167 

and,  finally,  to  exhibit  them  in  the  most  effective  manner 
possible.  Mr.  Jesup  was  greatly  interested  in  this  plan 
and  lent  it  his  hearty  support.  Under  Professor  Osborn's 
leadership  a  series  of  expeditions  was  organized,  which 
undertook  the  systematic  investigation  of  all  the  strata  in 
which  fossil  remains  were  likely  to  be  discovered.  An 
efficient  field  staff  was  organized  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  J.  L.  Wortman.  Clever  methods  of  packing  and 
transporting  the  specimens  when  found  were  devised, 
new  mechanical  devices  were  invented  for  their  effective 
exhibition,  and  the  results  gained  made  known  to  the 
world  in  a  series  of  scholarly  productions. 

In  1895  the  famous  Cope  Collection  of  North  American 
fossil  mammals  came  into  the  market.  This  collection, 
which  was  the  most  complete  and  valuable  of  its  kind 
in  the  world,  aggregated  nearly  ten  thousand  specimens, 
and  represented  four  hundred  and  eighty-three  species. 
Mr.  Jesup  united  with  several  other  trustees  and  friends 
of  the  Museum  in  the  purchase  of  this  collection.  Five 
years  later,  when  the  collection  of  the  lower  vertebrates 
of  the  same  great  scientist  was  offered  for  sale,  Mr.  Jesup 
purchased  this  at  his  own  expense  and  presented  it  to 
the  Museum.  The  entire  visible  fruits  of  the  life  work 
of  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  American  paleontologists 
were  thus  secured  for  the  Museum. 

In  the  meantime,  the  work  of  field  exploration  was 
being  systematically  pushed  forward.  New  specimens  of 
extraordinary  interest  and  value  were  being  added  from 
year  to  year,  and  when,  in  1896,  Mr.  Jesup  opened  the 
new  hall  of  vertebrate  paleontology,  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  it  contained  the  most  complete  and  best- 
appointed  collection  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 


i68  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

A  third  notable  contribution  of  Mr.  Jesup  was  made 
to  the  department  of  anthropology,  in  connection  with 
the  North  Pacific  expedition  which  he  inaugurated  in 
1897.  The  growth  of  this  department  was  indeed  one  of 
the  striking  features  of  his  administration.  Collections 
of  Indian  antiquities  had  been  acquired  by  the  Museum 
before  its  removal  to  the  new  site,  and  other  and  valuable 
gifts  soon  followed.  The  department  was  at  first  in 
charge  of  Professor  Bickmore,  who  was  much  interested 
in  the  subject,  but  his  growing  duties  in  connection 
with  the  work  of  public  instruction,  together  with  the 
increasing  value  of  the  collections,  rendered  the  creation 
of  an  independent  department  necessary,  and  Professor 
Terry  was  appointed  curator,  who,  in  turn,  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1894  by  Professor  Frederick  W.  Putnam, 
Head  of  the  Peabody  Museum  of  Cambridge.  Under 
Professor  Putnam's  inspiration  and  leadership  the  de- 
partment rapidly  expanded.  Expeditions  were  under- 
taken to  Mexico,  Central  America,  Peru,  Chili,  Bolivia, 
Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Florida,  British  Columbia,  and 
the  regions  contiguous  to  Behring  Straits.  Valuable 
collections  were  acquired  by  purchase  and  gift.  The 
Duke  of  Loubat  presented  to  it  a  complete  replica  of  the 
antiquities  of  Central  America  and  Mexico — a  gift  which 
extended  over  several  years.  Through  this  and  similar 
gifts  the  Museum  became  very  rich  in  material  bearing 
upon  the  anthropology  of  this  country,  and  questions  re- 
lating to  the  origin  and  history  of  its  earliest  inhabitants 
engaged  the  attention  and  study  of  its  representatives. 

It  was  to  this  interest  that  the  North  Pacific  expedition 
owed  its  origin.  In  his  report  to  the  Board  for  1896  Mr. 
Jesup  speaks  as  follows:     "In  closing  our  reference  to 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE    169 

the  work  of  the  Department  of  Anthropology  it  is  proper 
to  add  a  few  words  regarding  a  subject  of  great  interest, 
not  only  to  the  speciahst  in  this  subject,  but  also  to  per- 
sons interested  in  scientific  research  in  other  fields.  I 
refer  to  the  theory  that  America  was  originally  peopled 
by  migratory  tribes  from  the  Asiatic  continent.  The 
opportunities  for  solving  this  problem  are  rapidly  dis- 
appearing, and  I  would  be  deeply  grateful  to  learn  that 
some  friends  of  the  Museum  may  feel  disposed  to  con- 
tribute the  means  for  the  prosecution  of  systematic  in- 
vestigation, in  the  hope  of  securing  the  data  to  demonstrate 
the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  claim  set  forth  by  various  promi- 
nent men  of  science."  In  the  following  year,  no  one 
else  having  volunteered,  Mr.  Jesup  undertook  to  carry 
out  his  own  suggestion,  and  for  several  years  systematic 
field  work  was  carried  on  under  the  auspices  of  the  Mu- 
seum. In  1897  the  work  was  confined  to  the  coast  of 
British  Columbia;  in  the  following  year  it  was  under- 
taken upon  a  more  extended  scale.  Parties  were  in  the 
field  on  the  coast  of  the  State  of  Washington,  in  the 
southern  interior  of  British  Columbia,  and  in  north- 
eastern Siberia.  Extensive  collections  were  made  both  of 
archaeological  and  ethnological  material,  which  were  put 
on  exhibition  in  the  Museum,  and  added  greatly  to 
the  value  of  its  collections. 

Of  the  scientific  value  of  the  results  attained  this  is 
not  the  place  to  speak.*    Our  interest  here  is  in  the  light 

*Dr.  Franz  Boas,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  expedition,  thus  sums  up  his 
impression  of  the  value  of  the  results  obtained:  "An  inquiry  of  this  kind 
seemed  profitable  from  two  different  stand-points.  First  of  all,  we  had  reason 
to  hope  that  we  should  be  making  an  important  contribution  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  relations  existing  between  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  America  and  those 
of  the  Old  World;  further,  we  anticipated  that  a  study  of  the  historical  de- 
velopment of  a  large  territory,  inhabited  by  peoples  of  simple  types  of  culture, 


170  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

which  the  undertaking  sheds  upon  Mr.  Jesup's  own 
character.  The  question  at  issue  was  one  of  purely 
scientific  character,  without  any  direct  practical  bearing. 
Yet  it  engaged  Mr.  Jesup's  interest  no  less  heartily,  and 
he  followed  it  with  no  less  persistence,  than  his  work  for 
forest  preservation  or  his  collection  of  American  woods. 

An  incident  which  occurred  in  connection  with  this 
expedition  illustrates  Mr.  Jesup's  persistence  in  anything 
to  which  he  had  set  his  hand.  I  give  the  story  in  his 
own  words.  "When  I  consented  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
the  expedition  to  northwest  Alaska  it  became  very  im- 
portant that  the  best  scientific  men  should  be  engaged  to 
take  charge  of  it.  After  long  negotiations  Dr.  Laufer, 
from  the  St.  Petersburg  Society,  was  chosen  and  instructed 
by  cable  to  come  to  this  country  for  instructions.  He 
came  in  such  hot  haste  that  he  neglected  to  obtain  his 
passport,  and  when  he  was  ready  to  return  to  the  East 
on  his  scientific  quest  he  attempted  to  secure  his  pass- 
port at  the  Russian  embassy  and  was  refused  because  he 
was  a  Jew.  The  whole  expedition  was  imperilled,  as  it 
was  impossible  to  secure  any  competent  substitute.  I 
therefore  applied  to  the  Russian  Ambassador  at  Washing- 
would  furnish  us  with  the  means  of  approaching  more  methodicailly  and  with 
greater  precision  the  most  troublesome  problem  of  ethnography,  the  question 
of  independent  invention  or  borrowing. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  results  of  our  work  have  fully  justified  this  method 
of  carefully  studying  a  continuous  area  with  the  purpose  of  clearing  up  its 
historical  relations.  Not  only  did  we  find  everywhere  clear  proofs  of  borrow- 
ing, but  we  were  also  enabled  to  follow  the  migrations  of  ideas  and  tribes 
with  relative  certainty.  The  tribes  of  the  North  Pacific  Coast  no  longer  ap- 
pear to  us  as  stable  units,  lacking  any  historical  development,  but  we  see  their 
cultures  in  constant  flux,  each  people  influenced  by  its  nearer  and  more  distant 
neighbors  in  space  and  in  time.  We  recognize  that  from  an  historical  point 
of  view,  these  tribes  are  far  from  primitive,  and  that  their  beliefs  and  their 
ways  of  thinking  must  not  be  considered  those  of  the  human  race  in  its  infancy 
which  can  be  classified  unreservedly  in  an  evolutionary  series,  but  that  their 
origin  is  to  be  sought  in  the  complicated  ethnic  relations  between  the  tribes." 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   171 

ton  for  redress.  When  I  found  that  he  was  unable  to 
assist  me  I  apphed  to  the  Department  of  State  at  Wash- 
ington. Through  them  appHcation  was  made  to  Berlin 
and  St.  Petersburg  through  the  American  Ambassador, 
but  all  failed.  I  finally  wrote  a  letter  to  the  President  of 
the  St.  Petersburg  Academy  of  Science,  telling  him  the 
story  and  asking  for  his  help.  It  happened  that  Duke 
Constantine  of  Russia  was  a  member  of  the  St.  Peters- 
burg Academy  and  saw  my  letter,  and  through  him  the 
Emperor  was  made  acquainted  with  the  condition  of 
things,  and  the  first  intimation  I  had  of  the  result  of  my 
application  was  a  telegram  from  the  Russian  Ambassa- 
dor at  Washington  that  he  had  been  instructed  to  sign 
Mr.  Laufer's  passport  and  to  send  it  on  to  Washington. 
This  special  favor  was  worth  all  it  cost,  for  it  lent  the 
authority  of  his  Imperial  Majesty  to  the  expedition." 

These  are  only  the  most  important  of  Mr.  Jesup's 
contributions  to  the  collections  of  the  Museum.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  maintained  expeditions  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  important  data  regarding  the  vanishing  tribes 
of  North  American  Indians.  In  1890  he  supported  the 
Lumholtz  expedition  to  northern  Mexico.  From  time 
to  time  he  contributed  large  sums  for  the  development  of 
the  mineral  collections.  Among  his  lesser  gifts,  too 
numerous  to  mention,  may  be  singled  out  the  New  Zea- 
land and  the  Rio  Negro  ethnological  and  zoological  col- 
lections. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  collections  rendered  additional 
exhibition  space  imperative.  By  1887  the  facilities  at 
the  disposal  of  the  trustees  had  been  outgrown,  and  an 
addition  became  necessary.  In  1892  the  central  portion 
of   the    present    southern    facade    was    completed,    and 


172  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

further  additions  followed  in  1895,  1897,  1899,  1900, 
1905,  and  1908.  In  1900  the  present  lecture  hall  was 
completed  and  opened  to  the  public  with  proper  cere- 
monies. Thus,  by  the  end  of  Mr.  Jesup's  administra- 
tion almost  a  third  of  the  vast  plan  approved  by  the  trus- 
tees as  early  as  1874  had  been  actually  realized. 

The  enlargement  of  the  building  was  matched  by  a 
corresponding  improvement  in  its  exterior  surroundings. 
One  of  the  first  steps  taken  by  Mr.  Jesup  was  to  secure 
from  Mr.  Frederick  Olmsted  a  plan  by  which  access 
to  the  Museum  was  facilitated.  A  driveway  and  path 
connected  Manhattan  Square  and  Central  Park,  and  a 
roadway  at  Eighty-first  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue  opened 
the  westerly  drive  of  the  Park  to  Eighth  Avenue.  The 
filling  up  of  the  excavated  places  was  begun  and  plans 
drawn  for  the  continuous  embellishment  of  the  grounds. 
The  isolation  in  which  the  building  had  at  first  stood  was 
overcome,  and  the  numbers  of  visitors  steadily  increased. 

Even  greater  changes  took  place  in  the  interior  arrange- 
ments. The  conditions  described  in  Mr.  Jesup's  report 
of  1880  were  remedied  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  collections  became  constantly  more 
attractive  and  instructive.  But  with  this  reference  we 
have  passed  already  from  the  primary  to  the  secondary 
problems,  from  those  of  acquisition  to  those  of  use. 

We  may  sum  up  what  was  accomplished  along  these 
lines  under  the  four  heads  already  named,  of  installation, 
advertising,  research,  and  co-operation. 

And  first,  exhibition.  At  the  time  that  Mr.  Jesup  ac- 
cepted the  presidency  of  the  Museum  such  institutions 
were  generally  unattractive,  architecturally  repellent, 
dark,  dusty,  and  congested.     He  promptly  insisted  upon 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   173 

order,  cleanliness,  and  an  ample  supply  of  those  price- 
less gifts  of  nature,  light  and  air.  To  him,  a  few  specimens 
well  prepared,  well  labelled,  and  well  placed  were  of 
more  value  than  an  exhaustive  series  crowded  together  in 
dimness  and  confusion.  Probably  no  feature  of  the  Mu- 
seum is  more  frequently  commented  upon  by  visitors 
from  abroad  than  the  feeling  of  room,  light,  and  cleanli- 
ness which  it  produces.  This  result  is  not  an  accident. 
It  represents  a  condition  which  was  only  attained  through 
persistent  effort. 

Mr.  Jesup's  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  led  to  his 
inviting  to  America  Mrs.  Mogridge,  the  artist  modeller 
who  had  been  engaged  on  the  preparation  of  the  groups 
of  birds  in  the  British  Museum.  Probably  no  single  de- 
tail of  the  Museum  administration  has  met  with  more 
universal  popular  approval  than  this  innovation,  which 
finally  led  to  the  installation  of  those  enticing  bits  of  nat- 
ure known  as  the  bird  groups.  Here  the  different  birds 
are  shown  under  the  conditions  in  which  their  real  life 
is  lived.  We  see  the  mother  with  her  young,  the  nest 
hidden  away  among  the  reeds,  the  mother  bird  searching 
for  food,  and  all  the  infinite  variety  of  the  daily  life  of 
these  fascinating  members  of  the  animal  creation. 

The  experiment  so  successfully  tried  with  the  birds  was 
followed  with  equal  success  in  the  case  of  the  mammals, 
and  the  buffalo,  the  moose,  and  other  representative  ani- 
mals of  North  America,  were  exhibited  on  a  large  scale  amid 
surroundings  perfectly  modelled  after  their  real  habitat. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  artistic  skill  displayed 
in  the  preparation  of  the  collection  of  woods  and  of  the 
Jesup  collection  of  economic  entomology,  of  the  inter- 
est which  Mr.  Jesup  took  in  the  labelling  of  the  different 


174  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

specimens,  and  his  insistence  that  the  information  they 
contained  should  be  conveyed  in  a  manner  intelligible  to 
the  casual  visitor.  Nowhere  has  this  end  been  more  suc- 
cessfully attained  than  in  the  department  of  vertebrate 
paleontology,  in  which  the  story  of  the  earlier  forms  of 
life  upon  the  earth  is  retold  so  simply  and  fully  that  a 
layman  in  science  can  follow.  Mention  may  be  made  in 
this  connection  of  the  interesting  imaginative  recon- 
structions of  these  long-vanished  denizens  of  the  past 
by  Mr.  Knight,  who  has  worked  out  with  artistic  skill 
suggestions  made  to  him  by  Professor  Osborn. 

Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  the  success  of  the  Museum  as 
an  agency  of  popular  instruction  has  been  more  than  once 
referred  to.  He  was  not  content  to  wait  for  the  people 
to  come,  he  was  determined  to  take  every  step  to  bring 
them.  To  this  end  various  methods  of  making  the  work 
of  the  Museum  more  widely  known  were  employed. 
As  early  as  1881  the  Museum  began  the  publication  of 
simple  bulletins  describing  its  recent  acquisitions  and 
recording  the  growth  which  had  been  made  since  the  last 
issue.  These  were  widely  circulated  and  proved  an  effec- 
tive means  of  stimulating  popular  interest.  But  the  most 
efficient  agency  was  undoubtedly  the  system  of  popular 
lectures  inaugurated  by  Professor  Bickmore,  and  since 
developed  on  a  scale  unapproached  by  any  other  institu- 
tion of  a  similar  kind.  Through  these  lectures  the  Mu- 
seum attracted  within  its  walls  large  numbers  who  would 
not  otherwise  have  come,  and  not  only  stimulated  intelli- 
gent acquaintance  with  the  objects  of  exhibition,  but 
secured  the  wide  dissemination  of  information  which, 
in  turn,  added  new  visitors  to  its  constantly  enlarging 
constituency. 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   175 

Three  further  steps  taken  during  Mr.  Jesup's  adminis- 
tration helped  to  enlarge  the  number  of  visitors  to  the 
Museum.  The  first  was  the  abolition  of  the  rule  which 
reserved  Monday  and  Tuesday  of  each  week  for  the 
trustees,  the  commissioners,  and  students;  the  second, 
the  provision  for  evening  opening;  and  the  third  and  most 
important,  the  decision  to  open  the  Museum  on  Sundays. 

The  latter  step  was  not  taken  without  much  hesitancy 
on  Mr.  Jesup's  part.  It  involved  a  wide  departure  from 
his  own  earlier  attitude.  As  late  as  October,  1885,  he 
appeared  before  the  Mayor  to  protest  on  behalf  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Museum  against  the  proposal  that  in 
return  for  an  annual  appropriation  by  the  city  the  latter 
should  require  the  Museum  to  open  its  doors  on  Sunday. 
The  arguments  which  he  used  are  familiar.  They  repre- 
sented the  views  of  a  considerable  number  of  earnest 
people  who,  while  abandoning  the  strictness  of  the  early 
Puritan  observance,  still  held  strongly  to  the  necessity  of 
preserving  by  law  as  well  as  by  custom  the  barriers  which 
divided  Sunday  from  the  other  six  days  of  the  week. 
Sincere  friends  of  the  workingman,  they  honestly  believed 
that  the  policy  they  advocated  was  for  his  interest,  and 
some  of  them,  Hke  the  late  Mr.  William  R.  Prime,  of  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  were  wiUing  to  make  no 
shght  sacrifice  in  support  of  their  conviction.  The  policy 
which  Mr.  Jesup  advocated,  therefore,  was  one  which 
could  command  influential  support  and  which  probably 
represented  the  opinion,  as  he  says,  of  nine-tenths  of  his 
most  intimate  friends  and  associates.* 

*  His  speech  on  this  occasion,  which  was  afterward  printed,  was  one  of  the 
best  arguments  in  favor  of  Sunday  closing  with  which  the  writer  is  acquainted. 
After  adverting  to  the  additional  expense  which  would  be  required,  expense 
which  would  necessarily  fall  upon  the  trustees,  nine-tenths  of  whom,  in  Mr. 


176  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

When  Mr.  Jesup  appeared  before  the  Mayor  to  make 
his  argument  against  Sunday  opening  he  was  fifty-five 
years  old.  It  is  not  easy  for  a  man  who  has  reached  this 
time  of  life  to  alter  his  position  in  a  matter  on  which  he 
has  put  himself  publicly  on  record.  Yet,  Mr.  Jesup  did 
this  with  a  frankness  and  unreserve,  for  which  he  deserves 
every  credit.  Closer  observation  and  study  brought  to 
his  notice  facts  which  he  had  overlooked,  or,  at  least,  of 
which  he  had  taken  too  little  account.  He  came  to  see 
that  it  was  necessary  to  discriminate  between  harmful 
and  demorahzing  amusements  and  those  that  were  up- 
lifting and  educational.     He  saw  that  it  was  not  enough 

Jesup's  opinion,  were  opposed  to  Sunday  opening,  and  to  the  fact  that  it  would 
involve  extra  labor,  labor  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  secure  without  the 
permanent  employment  of  an  additional  force  of  men  trained  for  the  work,  Mr. 
Jesup  went  on  to  argue  that  it  was  not  for  the  interest  of  the  people,  especially 
for  the  workingmen,  to  open  the  Museum  on  Sunday.  His  position  he  declared 
to  be  taken  from  what  he  knew  "of  the  workingmen  themselves,  and  of  the 
value  to  them  of  Sunday  as  a  day  of  rest  from  toil  and  labor,  of  the  many  in- 
fluences that  tend  to  rob  them  of  it,  as  well  as  from  what  has  taken  place 
in  the  countries  of  Europe."  He  declared  that  it  was  the  popular  reverence 
for  the  day  as  a  non-secular  day  which  was  its  main  defence  as  a  rest-day. 
"  Break  down  this  popular  rev^ence  for  the  day  as  a  holy  day,  destroy  this 
distinction  between  it  and  the  week-days,  and  it  will  inevitably  become  a  work- 
ing day.  This  is  especially  true  in  a  country  like  ours,  where  competition  is  so 
severe  and  exacting."  "Open  the  Museum  on  Sunday,"  declared  Mr.  Jesup, 
"and  it  will  be  impossible  to  stop  there."  Other  so-called  instructive  recrea- 
tions and  entertainments  will  follow.  The  theatres  and  the  operas,  the  circuses 
and  the  minstrel  shows,  must  also  be  allowed,  and  the  end  will  be  the  Parisian 
Sunday.  Mr.  Jesup  met  the  argument  that  workingmen  have  no  time  but  Sunday 
in  which  to  visit  the  museums  by  calling  attention  to  the  six  or  eight  legal  holidays 
of  the  year,  to  the  occasional  oflF  days  which  occur  in  every  trade,  and  to  the  Sat- 
urday half  holiday,  with  the  movement  to  secure  which  he  was  in  fullest  sym- 
pathy. "I  believe,"  he  said,  "that  what  our  workingmen  want  is  more  time  for 
rest  and  intelligent  recreation  during  the  week.  If  merchants  and  manufact- 
urers and  business  men  of  this  city  could  be  induced  to  give  their  employees  a 
Saturday  half  holiday,  this  would  give  time  for  laboring  men  to  visit  the  muse- 
ums without  opening  on  Sunday.  Open  the  museums  on  Sunday  and  you  weak- 
en the  motive  for  extending  the  Saturday  half  holiday,  and  otherwise  shortening 
the  hours  of  labor."  He  concluded  by  calling  attention  to  the  experience  of 
England  and  citing  an  impressive  array  of  witnesses  in  favor  of  Sunday  obser- 
vance from  that  country. 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   177 

to  repress;  you  must  provide  an  outlet  for  the  fund  of 
energy  which  the  Sunday  holiday  leaves  idle.  He  recog- 
nized that  a  policy  which  allowed  the  rich  to  enjoy  pictures 
and  works  of  art  in  their  own  homes  on  Sunday,  while  it 
denied  the  poor  the  privilege  of  similar  recreation  in  the 
public  galleries,  to  the  support  of  which  they  contribute 
by  taxation,  was  an  intolerable  discrimination.  Accord- 
ingly, only  two  years  later  we  find  him  withdrawing  his 
opposition  and  co-operating  with  the  city  authorities  in 
carrying  out  the  policy  which  he  had  hitherto  opposed. 

Mr.  Jesup  never  regretted  this  action.  Speaking  with 
a  friend  some  years  later  he  said: 

"For  a  long  time  I  stoutly  opposed  opening  the  city 
museums  on  Sundays.  That  measure  was  finally  carried 
with  my  personal  vote  in  the  affirmative,  and  I  have 
learned  to  be  grateful  that  the  step  was  taken.  It  has 
been  a  satisfaction  to  me  to  watch  the  weekly  returns 
registered  in  the  museums  of  the  Sunday  afternoon  attend- 
ance, knowing  that  it  is  made  up  of  persons  who  are  too 
busy  to  enjoy  these  pleasures  on  other  days.  I  frankly 
acknowledge  my  opposition  to  the  plan  originally  to  have 
been  caused  by  ignorance  pure  and  simple.  I  believe 
ignorance  to  be  at  the  bottom  of  all  wrong  opposition  to 
right  things.  There  is  a  deep  truth  in  the  saying  that  'to 
understand  is  to  forgive,'  and  often  to  approve." 

But  Mr.  Jesup' s  conception  of  the  function  of  the 
Museum  was  not  confined  to  popular  instruction.  More 
than  once  in  the  course  of  this  chapter  reference  has  been 
made  to  his  interest  in  the  scientific  work  of  the  Museum. 
As  we  have  seen,  Professor  Osborn  refers  to  this  as  one 
of  the  outstanding  features  of  his  administration.  The 
function  of  the  Museum,  as  he  saw  it,  was  not  simply 


178  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

to  popularize  knowledge,  but  to  add  to  its  sum.  He  re- 
garded it  as  part  of  the  educational  system  of  the  country 
in  the  widest  sense,  including  under  the  term  pure  as 
well  as  applied  science.  He  was  not  content  to  put  its 
resources  at  the  disposal  of  scholars;  he  wished  to  see 
the  staff  themselves  contribute  to  the  progress  of  scholar- 
ship. He  regarded  time  spent  in  this  kind  of  work  as  well 
spent,  and  was  anxious  to  put  the  best  possible  facilities 
at  the  disposal  of  the  workers.  This  motive  led,  as  we 
have  seen,  to  the  undertaking  by  the  Museum  of  sys- 
tematic exploration  on  its  own  account,  the  object  being 
not  merely  to  secure  materials  for  exhibition  purposes, 
but  to  gather  objects  of  study  and  to  solve  problems  in 
the  field  of  ethnology  and  natural  history  which  had 
hitherto  defied  solution.  Side  by  side  with  the  collections 
for  exhibition,  ample  study  collections  were  added  and 
facilities  provided  for  their  use  by  such  scholars  as  de- 
sired to  avail  themselves  of  them.  The  library  was  de- 
veloped and  enlarged  until  to-day  it  numbers  no  less 
than  forty  thousand  volumes  and  twenty  thousand 
pamphlets,  covering  all  the  fields  with  which  the 
Museum  deals,  and  putting  at  the  service  of  its  workers 
the  results  of  the  latest  work  of  specialists  in  all  these 
branches. 

With  increased  facilities  for  research  were  developed 
also  means  for  making  known  to  the  public  the  results 
gained  by  research.  The  Bulletin,  designed  for  the  popu- 
lar reader,  was  succeeded  by  the  Journal,  a  more  schol- 
arly publication  designed  to  embody  the  work  of  the  staff 
in  the  department  of  pure  science.  Valuable  monographs 
on  zoology  and  paleontology  appeared  from  time  to 
time,  until  to-day  the  publications  of  th€  Museum  take 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   179 

their  place  with  those  of  the  great  universities  as  an  es- 
sential part  of  the  equipment  of  the  modern  naturahst 
and  ethnologist. 

One  happy  incident  in  the  course  of  this  steady  develop- 
ment deserves  special  mention.  On  December  29,  1906, 
a  large  and  representative  audience  gathered  in  the  lect- 
ure room  of  the  Museum  to  witness  the  presentation  to 
the  Trustees  of  the  series  of  busts  of  eminent  American 
naturalists  which  now  adorns  the  spacious  anteroom 
through  which  visitors  approach  the  Museum.  The 
idea  was  Mr.  Jesup's,  and  he  provided  the  funds.  The 
gift  fitly  symbolizes  his  conception  of  the  part  played  by 
science  in  the  complex  circle  of  interests,  of  whose  joint 
efforts  the  Museum  is  the  expression.  To  a  friend  who 
was  sitting  by  his  side  at  a  meeting  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  which 
the  speaker  paid  a  tribute  to  the  pioneers  whose  work  he 
had  helped  to  commemorate,  he  said:  "I  am  glad  that 
I  was  able  to  do  this  for  the  men  who  have  devoted  their 
lives  to  science." 

One  further  feature  ^  of  Mr.  Jesup's  administration 
still  remains  to  be  mentioned,  and  that  is  the  pains  which 
he  took  to  bring  about  an  effective  co-operation  between 
the  Museum  and  the  other  educational  institutions  of 
the  country.  One  of  the  first  bodies  with  which  the  Mu- 
seum entered  into  relations  was  the  New  York  State 
Survey.  Not  only  were  its  collections  housed  by  the 
Museum,  but  the  Museum's  workshops  were  put  at  the 
disposal  of  its  members.  For  many  years  cordial  sym- 
pathy and  co-operation  obtained  between  the  two  in- 
stitutions. Later,  connections  were  made  with  Columbia 
University  and  the  University  of  New  York,  as  well  as 


i8o  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

with  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  the  Zoological 
Park,  and  the  Botanical  Garden.  The  hospitality  of  the 
Museum  was  cordially  extended  to  the  New  York  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  the  Linnaean  Society,  the  New  York 
Botanical  Society,  and  kindred  organizations.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  Museum  were  frequently  permitted  to  devote 
some  of  their  time  to  university  teaching,  and  the  names 
of  university  officers  were  as  frequently  found  upon  the 
scientific  staff  of  the  Museum.  The  Museum  was  the 
birthplace  of  the  Audubon  Society.  It  became  the  meet- 
ing place  of  the  Anthropological  Society.  Here  convened 
in  1873  the  International  Congress  of  Humanists;  here 
was  held  the  Ecumenical  Congress,  and  the  Seventh  In- 
ternational Congress  of  Zoology. 

Most  significant  of  all  were  the  relations  that  existed 
between  the  Museum  and  the  public  schools.  Lectures 
designed  for  teachers  and  public  lectures  given  in  co- 
operation with  the  Board  of  Education  had  been  de- 
livered for  several  years,  when  it  occurred  to  the  president 
that  greater  integration  with  the  schools  might  be  estab- 
lished. Accordingly,  in  1904  lectures  for  school-children 
were  begun,  and  in  the  following  year  more  than  seven- 
teen thousand  pupils  came  to  the  Museum,  many  walk- 
ing miles  that  they  might  profit  by  Hstening  to  those  who 
were  announced  to  lecture  on  various  natural  history 
topics  germane  to  the  regular  public  school  work.  About 
the  same  time  the  president  further  extended  the  use- 
fulness of  the  Museum  by  preparing  small  collections 
which  were  sent  into  all  parts  of  the  city  to  supplement 
in  the  school  buildings  the  regular  work  of  the  schools, 
and  thus  to  assist  those  who  were  unable  to  visit  the 
Museum.     When  it  is  reaHzed  that  within  thirty  weeks  a 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   i8i 

single  one  of  these  collections  has  been  studied  by  nearly 
five  thousand  school-children,  and  that  at  times  there 
have  been  more  than  four  hundred  collections  in  circu- 
lation, one  is  in  a  position  to  estimate  at  its  true  value 
this  phase  of  the  Museum's  activity. 

The  spirit  of  co-operation  which  characterized  Mr. 
Jesup's  administration  found  fitting  expression  in  a  speech 
which  he  delivered  at  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
the  neighboring  Museum  of  Art.  "I  feel  sure,  Mr. 
President,"  he  began,  "that  it  is  your  kindly  interest  in 
the  sister  museum,  over  which  I  have  the  honor  to  pre- 
side, which  has  led  you  to  select  me  to  say  a  few  words 
on  this  occasion.  Our  respective  museums  were  born 
about  the  same  time.  I  well  remember  the  circumstances 
which  surrounded  their  infancy.  There  were  compara- 
tively few  then  who  felt  any  interest  in  art  and  natural 
history  and  science.  It  was  very  difficult  to  arouse  popu- 
lar interest  and  enthusiasm  in  such  enterprises  as  ours. 
Our  beginnings  were  modest  and  our  support  limited. 
Many  of  those  who  bore  the  burden  and  anxiety  of  these 
early  days  have  passed  away.  Would  that  they  were 
here  to  witness  the  wonderful  growth  and  prosperity 
which  we,  their  associates,  now  behold.  Great  credit 
was  due  to  your  late  President,  J.  Taylor  Johnston, 
for  what  he  accomplished  for  the  Museum  over  which  you 
now  so  worthily  preside.  Neither  should  we  forget  John 
David  Wolfe  and  Robert  L.  Stuart,  the  former  Presidents 
of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  now  gone 
from  our  sight.  These  men  will  ever  be  gratefully  re- 
membered not  only  by  us,  but  by  the  city  whose  interests 
they  so  much  loved  and  helped  to  serve.  It  must  be  a 
great  joy  to  you,  and  to  us  all  to  witness  the  present 


i82  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

position  and  conditions  of  these  two  museums,  and  to 
know  that  they  have  been  such  important  factors  in  all 
that  is  elevating  in  the  life  of  this  good  metropolis,  and 
through  it,  in  the  life  of  the  whole  country."  Mr.  Jesup 
went  on  to  paint  a  picture  of  what  the  future  would  hold 
when  these  museums,  "now  only  in  their  infancy,  shall 
have  attained  the  age  of  the  present  museums  of  Europe," 
and  to  pay  a  tribute  to  the  authorities  of  the  city  for 
generous  and  consistent  support. 

In  his  report  of  the  same  year  he  thus  sums  up  the 
growth  of  the  Museum  during  the  twenty-five  years  of 
his  administration: 

In  concluding  this  my  quarter  of  a  century  of  service 
as  President  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
I  cannot  refrain  from  referring  to  the  Report  of  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  when  the  Trustees  stated  that  "they  most 
respectfully  appeal  to  the  generous  citizens  of  New  York, 
to  aid  in  the  effort  to  make  our  Metropolitan  City  the 
centre  of  the  highest  scientific  culture  in  our  land,  and  to 
join  in  adding  new  collections  and  new  departments  to 
the  admirable  nucleus  which  has  been  already  secured." 
As  your  President  it  has  been  my  constant  effort  to  fulfil 
the  desires,  as  expressed  by  the  Trustees,  which  were  so 
clearly  formulated  at  the  time  of  my  appointment,  and 
when  we  view  the  stately  building  in  Manhattan  Square, 
when  we  wander  through  the  exhibition  halls  and  study 
the  priceless  collections  therein  displayed,  when  we  realize 
that  thousands  of  the  people  of  our  City  are  assembling 
here  to  listen  to  prominent  educators,  that  school-children 
are  here  receiving  their  first  love  for  nature  and  their  first 
taste  of  science,  and  that  the  influence  of  this  institution 
is  being  felt  throughout  the  civilized  world,  truly  we  can 
say  that  the  appeal  of  1881  to  the  generous  citizens  of 
New  York  has  not  remained  unanswered. 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   183 

This  great  result  was,  of  course,  not  due  to  Mr.  Jesup 
alone.  Many  factors  co-operated  to  produce  the  magnif- 
icent success  attained.  Were  it  our  purpose  here  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  Museum  in  its  fulness,  we  should 
have  to  record  the  loyal  support  which  Mr.  Jesup  received 
from  his  trustees,  and  their  generous  contributions  of 
time  and  money,  the  devoted  service  of  the  members  of 
the  staff  whose  achievements  in  science  and  research 
have  lent  distinction  to  the  Museum,  and  the  liberality 
of  the  generous  citizens  of  New  York  which  Mr.  Jesup 
himself  so  appreciatively  recognized.  But  every  great 
cause  must  have  a  leader,  and  Mr.  Jesup's  fellow-workers 
in  the  Museum  would  be  the  first  to  admit  that  to  his  wise 
and  far-sighted  leadership  the  great  success  which  their 
joint  efforts  attained  was  primarily  due. 

"I  suppose,"  says  Mr.  Choate,  his  fellow  founder  and 
trustee,  speaking  some  years  later  at  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  "that  I  may  speak  with  authority  of  Mr. 
Jesup's  services  to  the  world  in  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History;  for  it  was  not  merely  to  that  corporation,  it  was 
not  merely  to  the  citizens  of  New  York  who  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  what  he  has  given  and  done  there,  but  to  the 
world  at  large,  that  the  benefits  of  his  labors  in  that  direc- 
tion extended.  I  say  I  may  speak  with  authority  because 
I  believe  that  Mr.  Morgan  and  I  are  the  only  surviving 
associates  who,  with  him,  assisted  in  the  organization 
of  that  institution.  I  do  not  think  it  can  be  said  that 
Mr.  Jesup  was  the  creator  of  the  Museum.  I  should 
hardly  venture  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Morgan  to  claim 
for  him  a  monopoly  of  the  generosity  that  endowed  that 
institution  from  the  beginning;  nor  would  I  forget  the 
abundant  aid  of  many  other  generous  benefactors;   but  I 


i84  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

will  say  that  he  was  the  chief  factor,  the  most  powerful 
and  effective  agent  in  bringing  it  to  the  great  eminence 
that  it  enjoys  to-day." 

This  great  service  was  fitly  signalized  by  his  fellow 
trustees  on  February  12,  1906,  when  in  commemoration  of 
the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  presidency,  they  pre- 
sented to  him  a  loving  cup  beautifully  designed  in  gold, 
with  inscriptions  and  symbols  in  allusion  to  those  branches 
of  science  in  which  he  had  taken  a  special  interest.  On 
one  face  of  the  cup  reference  was  made  to  the  forestry  of 
North  America;  on  another  his  interest  in  vertebrate  pale- 
ontology was  indicated,  and  his  gift  of  the  Cope  collection 
of  fishes,  amphibians,  and  reptiles  was  mentioned;  on  the 
third  face  was  a  design  symbolizing  the  work  of  the  Jesup 
North  Pacific  expeditions,  the  last  and  greatest  of  the  en- 
terprises toward  which  his  efforts  were  directed. 

To  this  tribute  of  the  trustees  we  may  add  the  following 
extracts  from  the  words  of  the  two  men  who  stood  closest 
to  him  in  the  executive  work  of  the  Museum,  President 
Osborn  and  Director  Bumpus. 

"In  the  death  of  Morris  K.  Jesup,"  writes  President 
Osborn,  "science  in  America  has  lost  one  of  its  wisest 
supporters  and  most  liberal  benefactors.  Mr.  Jesup's 
name  has  been  closely  associated  in  our  minds  with  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  it  is  true 
that  during  his  presidency  of  twenty-seven  years  his  chief 
interests  have  been  centred  there,  but  his  enthusiasm  in 
the  cause  of  education  and  of  science  reached  far  beyond 
the  bounds  of  the  City  of  New  York;  in  fact,  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  there  has  ever  lived  in  America  or  any  other  country 
a  man  trained  originally  for  business  who  developed  more 
universal  sympathies  and  interests.     The  most  northerly 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   185 

promontory  of  the  Arctic  bears  his  name;  he  was  in- 
strumental in  exploration  of  the  extreme  south;  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Syrian  College  at  Beirut  his  influence  has  been 
felt  through  the  Orient,  and  expeditions,  made  possible 
through  his  generosity,  have  investigated  many  scientific 
problems  in  the  west. 

"  It  is  not  possible  to  review  or  summarize  here  all  the 
different  directions  in  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  led  by  his 
keen  sense  of  the  duties  of  citizenship.  He  was  a  man 
who  had  a  strong  civic  pride;  he  believed  in  American 
ideas  and  in  American  men,  and  was  ever  willing  to  sacri- 
fice his  own  interests  to  those  of  the  community.  He 
was  an  idealist,  an  optimist,  and  keenly  patriotic.  He 
was  sanguine,  determined,  forceful,  trustful,  apprecia- 
tive and  even  affectionate  toward  those  closely  associated 
with  him." 

"It  is  not  because  of  the  long  period  of  his  service," 
writes  Professor  Bumpus,  "nor  because  of  his  unfailing 
devotion,  nor  yet  because  of  his  innumerable  gifts,  that 
Mr.  Jesup's  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History  will  mark  a  distinct  epoch  in 
the  history  of  this  institution. 

"Scientific  and  educational  institutions  frequently  have 
enjoyed  the  continuous  service  of  administrative  offi- 
cers for  much  longer  periods  of  time;  unfailing  devotion 
has  not  always  resulted  in  administrative  efficiency;  and 
the  mere  act  of  giving,  even  if  repeatedly  recurrent,  has 
not  always  benefited  the  recipient. 

"It  is  because  he  served  long  and  also  well;  it  is  be- 
cause he  was  devoted  and  at  the  same  time  exercised  good 
judgment;  it  is  because  he  not  only  gave  but  gave  wisely, 
that  he  finally  enjoyed  the  fruit  of  his  labor,  that  his 


i86  MORRIS  KETCHUM   JESUP 

devotion  to  the  Museum  ripened  into  absorbing  affection, 
and  that  his  example  of  giving  infected  those  associated 
with  him." 

Mr.  Jesup's  interest  in  the  Museum  did  not  cease 
with  his  death.  In  his  will  he  left  a  million  dollars  to  the 
Permanent  Endowment  Fund,  accompanying  the  be- 
quest with  the  following  words: 

I  give  and  bequeath  to  The  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History  in  the  City  of  New  York  One  million 
dollars  (;S5 1,000,000)  to  constitute  a  permanent  fund,  the 
principal  to  be  invested  and  kept  invested,  and  the  in- 
come to  be  applied  and  appropriated  to  the  general  pur- 
poses of  the  Museum,  other  than  alterations,  additions, 
repairs  or  erection  of  buildings,  the  purchase  of  land  or 
the  payment  of  salaries,  or  for  labor  or  for  services  of  any 
kind,  ordinarily  considered  under  the  item  of  mainte- 
nance. 

I  wish  to  explain  that  I  have  bequeathed  this  sum  of 
One  million  dollars  (;?  1,000,000)  to  The  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History,  and  that  I  have  made  for  it  the  other 
bequests  and  provisions  contained  in  my  Will  because  of 
the  fact  that  I  have  been  identified  with  the  Museum  from 
its  Act  of  Incorporation  to  the  present  time.  I  have 
been  its  President  since  1882.  Since  that  time  I  have 
devoted  a  great  part  of  my  life,  my  time,  my  thoughts 
and  my  attention  to  its  interests.  I  believe  it  to  be  to- 
day one  of  the  most  effective  agencies  which  exist  in  The 
City  of  New  York  for  furnishing  education,  innocent 
amusement  and  instruction  to  the  people.  It  can  be 
immensely  increased  in  its  usefulness  by  increasing  its 
powers.  The  City  of  New  York,  under  its  contract  with 
the  Museum,  is  to  provide  buildings  and  to  maintain 
them,  but  the  buildings  must  be  filled  with  specimens. 
This  means  that  for  the  purpose,  the  necessary  amount 
must  come  from  individual  donors.     It  is  in  order  that 


FRIEND  OF  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE   187 

the  means  for  this  purpose  may  be  helped,  as  the  Mu- 
seum must  grow  in  additional  buildings  by  the  City,  and 
in  view  of  its  great  possibilities  for  the  future,  that  I 
make  for  the  Museum  the  bequests  and  provisions  con- 
tained in  my  Will,  relying  upon  the  Trustees  of  the  Mu- 
seum to  do  their  share,  by  looking  after  the  investment 
of  the  funds,  the  use  of  its  income  and  by  carefully  watch- 
ing over,  and  wisely  planning  for  the  best  interests  of 
this  great  institution. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE 

^npHE  visitor  to  the  Museum  who  enters  the  spacious 
-*-  antechamber  in  which  are  installed  the  busts  of 
distinguished  scientists,  already  referred  to,  notices  several 
large  masses  of  metal  weighing  several  tons  each,  whose 
curious  shape  and  appearance  at  once  excite  his  curiosity. 
On  approaching  them  and  studying  the  labels  he  dis- 
covers that  they  are  meteorites  from  Greenland,  and  that 
they  were  brought  to  the  Museum  by  Commander  Peary 
on  his  return  from  his  expedition  to  that  country  in  1897. 
The  story  of  this  expedition  and  of  its  sequel  introduces 
us  to  one  of  the  most  interesting  episodes  in  Mr.  Jesup's 
career,  namely,  the  part  which  he  took  in  the  discovery 
of  the  North  Pole. 

Mr.  Jesup  describes  his  first  meeting  with  Peary  in  the 
following  words:  "Ever  since  the  Kane  expedition, 
which  took  place  under  the  backing  of  Henry  Grinnell,  I 
had  been  more  or  less  interested  in  arctic  exploration. 
Through  my  presidency  of  the  Museum  my  attention  has 
been  called  in  many  ways  to  research  and  investigation 
in  all  parts  of  our  country  and  of  the  world,  so  that  I  have 
been  prepared  in  thought  and  mind  to  receive  favorably 
any  one  who  wished  to  talk  to  me  on  any  subject  con- 

188 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE     189 

nected  with  science  and  research.  When  therefore  some 
nine  years  ago  a  card  bearing  the  name  Mrs.  Robert 
E.  Peary,  was  presented  to  me  at  my  office  in  the  Museum, 
with  the  request  for  an  interview,  it  was  readily  granted. 
At  that  time  Mr.  Peary  had  been  for  over  a  year  in  the 
arctic  regions,  and  Mrs.  Peary  had  been  there  with  him, 
but  had  returned  leaving  her  husband  in  Greenland  to 
continue  his  explorations  for  another  year.  Mrs.  Peary 
had  promised  her  husband  to  see  to  it  that  in  the  follow- 
ing year  an  expedition  should  be  sent  to  relieve  him  and 
bring  him  home,  and  the  time  was  now  approaching  when 
this  promise  must  be  fulfilled.  It  was  in  the  hope  of  secur- 
ing assistance  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise  that  Mrs. 
Peary  sought  an  interview  with  me.  It  is  unnecessary 
for  me  to  enter  into  details.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  I  could 
not  resist  the  appeal  of  a  sweet  woman  and  I  agreed  to 
give  her  the  help  she  desired.  She  sent  the  ship,  found 
Mr.  Peary  where  he  said  he  would  be  and  brought  him 
home.  The  ship  also  brought  valuable  specimens  for  the 
Museum,  which  are  now  on  exhibition.  Through  this 
little  adventure  I  was  brought  into  close  relationship  with 
Mr.  Peary  and  was  led  to  admire  his  courage,  pluck, 
perseverance,  and  loyalty." 

The  nature  of  the  meeting  to  which  Mr.  Jesup  so 
briefly  refers,  was  so  romantic  and  its  consequences  so 
important  that  the  reader  will  appreciate  the  fuller  ac- 
count which  has  been  supplied  by  the  other  most  impor- 
tant actor,  Mrs.  Peary  herself.  "In  1893  I  went  north 
with  my  husband,  who  had  undertaken  work  upon  the 
delimitation  of  the  boundaries  of  Greenland.  A  vessel 
was  to  have  called  for  us  two  years  later,  but  through 
some  mistake  instead  of  coming  in   1895,  it  arrived  in 


190  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

1894.  Commander  Peary,  feeling  that  his  work  was 
not  yet  done,  was  unwilling  to  return,  and  accordingly  I 
came  back  alone  with  my  little  daughter  born  in  the 
north,  leaving  him  to  complete  his  work  in  the  faith 
that  some  way  would  be  found  to  bring  him  home.  This, 
however,  proved  no  easy  matter  to  accomplish.  All  our 
funds  had  been  exhausted  by  this  trip  of  the  ship,  and 
as  I  was  at  that  time  living  in  Washington  with  my  baby 
and  an  Eskimo  nurse  on  an  income  of  about  seventy-five 
dollars  a  month,  there  seemed  little  prospect  of  my  secur- 
ing enough  for  another  voyage  north.  In  this  emergency 
Judge  Daly,  of  the  Geographic  Society  of  New  York, 
promised  one  thousand  dollars  on  behalf  of  the  Society, 
provided  I  could  secure  similar  co-operation  from  other 
societies  and  learned  institutions.  He  asked  me  if  I 
knew  Mr.  Morris  K.  Jesup,  of  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  stating  that  he  was  a  man  whose  help 
would  be  useful  to  me  if  his  interest  could  be  secured. 
It  was  a  time  when  every  dollar  was  precious  to  me,  but 
necessity  knows  no  law  and  accordingly  I  undertook  the 
journey  to  New  York,  where  an  interview  with  Mr.  Jesup 
had  been  arranged  for  me  by  a  friend.  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  reluctance  with  which  I  undertook  my  journey. 
Every  mile  that  the  train  progressed  I  wished  were  a  mile 
in  the  opposite  direction.  When  I  reached  the  friend's 
house  in  New  York  it  was  nine  o'clock.  He  was  still  at 
breakfast  and,  as  I  waited  for  him  to  join  me,  I  wished 
that  the  meal  might  never  be  completed.  My  interview 
with  him  was  not  entirely  reassuring.  'If  Mr.  Jesup  is 
interested  in  you,'  he  said,  as  we  talked  on  our  way  to 
the  Museum,  *no  one  could  possibly  be  kinder  than  he 
will  be,  but  if  he  is  not  interested,  you  must  be  prepared 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE     191 

to  find  him  very  abrupt/  Imagine  my  feelings  then 
when  on  reaching  the  Museum  I  was  ushered  into  a  room 
filled  with  gentlemen  who,  as  I  afterward  learned,  belonged 
to  the  Board  of  Directors.  I  had  no  idea  which  of  them 
was  Mr.  Jesup,  but  I  was  reassured  to  find  that  I  was 
not  the  only  woman  in  the  room,  for  Mr.  Jesup,  fearing 
that  I  might  be  ill  at  ease  under  such  circumstances,  had 
very  considerately  asked  Mrs.  Jesup  to  come  with  him, 
and  she  was  standing  by  one  of  the  windows  during  our 
interview.  Mr.  Jesup,  whom  I  soon  recognized  from 
his  commanding  presence,  broached  the  subject  of  my 
mission  at  once  by  saying:  *I  hear  that  you  are  getting 
up  a  relief  expedition  for  the  farthest  north,  is  that  not 
rather  an  unusual  undertaking  for  a  woman .?  Tell  me 
all  about  it  and  what  your  plans  are.'  In  reply  I  began 
to  tell  him  under  what  circumstances  my  husband  had 
been  left  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  and  explained  my 
plan  of  bringing  him  back.  I  remember  that  while  I  was 
still  talking,  Mrs.  Jesup  approached  and  said  to  her  hus- 
band in  an  undertone:  *What  would  you  think  of  my 
inviting  her  to  lunch  with  us  to-morrow?'  Mr.  Jesup 
said  Yes  immediately.  I  saw  my  hotel  bill  mounting  in 
spite  of  me,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  stay, 
and  never  were  dollars  better  expended.  As  a  result  of 
my  next  day's  interview  with  Mr.  Jesup,  I  received  from 
him  the  promise  of  another  thousand  dollars  toward  my 
relief  fund,  nor  was  this  all.  Mr.  Jesup  gave  me  en- 
couragement that  was  worth  more  than  money.  He  said 
to  me :  'I  believe  that  you  are  doing  all  you  can  to  raise 
this  money,  and  I  don't  want  you  to  do  any  less,  but  if 
you  do  not  succeed  in  raising  it  all,  come  back  to  me 
again.    You  must  understand  that  while  I  am  interested 


192  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

in  the  scientific  aspects  of  your  expedition,  my  chief  in- 
terest is  that  I  want  you  to  get  your  husband  back/  '* 

The  story  of  Mrs.  Peary's  efforts  to  secure  the  seven 
thousand  dollars  which  still  remained;  of  the  tribulations 
with  which  she  met  when  one  of  the  scientists  who  was  to 
have  represented  a  contributing  institution,  died,  and  the 
college  withdrew  its  pledge;  of  how  she  plucked  up  her 
courage  and  made  up  the  deficit  by  giving  two  public 
illustrated  lectures — this  is  not  the  place  to  tell.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  through  Mr.  Jesup's  assistance  the  fund  was 
completed  at  last,  and  Commander  Peary  brought  home 
in  safety.  With  Mrs.  Peary  he  called  upon  Mr.  Jesup 
and,  with  the  meeting,  there  began  a  friendship  which 
continued  unbroken  until  Mr.  Jesup's  death.  Mr.  Jesup 
trusted  Mr.  Peary  at  once  and  never  withdrew  his  trust. 
He  used  his  efforts  to  secure  for  Mr.  Peary  an  extension 
of  his  leave  of  absence,  in  order  that  he  might  have  the 
rest  which  he  needed  after  his  over-strain,  and  among 
his  papers  is  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Peary  expressing  in 
feeling  terms  her  appreciation  of  what  this  service  meant 
to  her  and  her  husband.  When  in  the  following  year  he 
returned  to  Greenland,  to  complete  his  exploration,  Mr. 
Jesup  took  an  active  interest  in  his  work  and,  in  the 
co-operation  thus  begun,  the  seeds  were  sown  which 
bore  fruit  in  later  years  in  the  discovery  of  the  Pole. 

During  Commander  Peary's  stay  in  Greenland  in  1894 
he  obtained  from  the  Eskimos  the  precise  location  of  a 
so-called  "iron  mountain,"  which  various  expeditions 
since  18 18  had  endeavored  unsuccessfully  to  discover, 
and,  on  visiting  the  place,  discovered  the  famous  group  of 
meteorites  which  now  adorn  the  antechamber  of  the 
Museum,  one  of  them  the  largest  in  the  world .    Some  of  the 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE     193 

smaller  of  them  he  brought  home  with  him  on  his  return 
in  1895,  but  the  larger  proved  too  heavy  to  transport.  On 
his  subsequent  expedition  the  attempt  was  renewed,  and 
this  time  successfully.  The  great  masses  of  metal  were 
transported  over  the  intervening  snow  and  ice,  safely 
launched  upon  the  ship,  to  find  their  way  at  last  to  the 
Museum  which  had  provided  the  funds  for  the  enterprise. 
With  them  came  also  a  mass  of  material  illustrating  the 
natural  history  and  ethnology  of  Greenland,  and  from 
that  time  on,  the  Museum  has  reaped  the  fruit  of  the 
work  of  exploration  carried  on  by  the  successive  Peary 
expeditions. 

How  rich  that  fruit  was  and  how  highly  Mr.  Jesup 
rated  Commander  Peary's  services  along  this  line  appears 
from  the  following  characteristic  letter  which  he  wrote 
to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks  of  the 
Navy  Department  in  Washington,  March  9,  1897.  When 
Commander  Peary  returned,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in 
the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  where  he  was  in  easy  communi- 
cation with  the  Museum,  and  his  services  in  connection 
with  the  arrangement  of  the  material  which  he  had  brought 
back  proved  invaluable.  Mr.  Jesup  learned  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  Department  to  transfer  Mr.  Peary 
elsewhere,  and  accordingly,  wrote  as  follows: 

March  9,  1897. 
Chief  of  Bureau,  Yards  and  Docks, 

Navy  Department,  Washington,  D.  C. 
My  Dear  Sir: 

I  beg  to  preface  my  letter  by  stating  that  I  have  re- 
ceived an  intimation  of  the  possibility  of  the  assignment 
of  Civil  Engineer  Robert  E.  Peary  to  duty  in  another 
city,  and  I  am  moved  to  ask  your  kind  offices  for  his  re- 
tention at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard. 


194  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Briefly,  permit  me  to  state  that  I  have  had  an  extended 
association  with  Mr.  Peary,  and  have  been  earnestly 
impressed  with  his  work,  a  very  important  part  of  which, 
I  may  add,  was  carried  on  under  personal  relations  with 
myself,  and  the  outcome  of  which  enterprise  brought  to 
the  institution  of  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be  President, 
one  of  the  most  important  and  comprehensive  collections 
of  Greenland  materials.  It  would  not  strengthen  this 
statement  to  endeavor  to  enumerate  the  number  of  the 
specimens,  but  I  may  dismiss  it  by  explaining  that  the 
Museum  thereby  became  possessed  of  material  which 
places  it  in  the  front  rank  of  similar  collections,  and  this 
has  been  augmented  since  by  large  accessions  from  other 
portions  of  Greenland  and  Hudson  Bay  during  1896. 

To  have  an  intimation  that  Mr.  Peary  might  be  de- 
tailed to  a  distant  city,  where  it  would  be  impossible  to 
have  the  benefit  of  his  important  advice,  has  given  us 
serious  concern;  not  only  would  it  detract  from  the  edu- 
cational value  of  the  collections  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the 
public,  but  it  would  result  in  the  loss  of  many  data,  valua- 
ble alike  to  the  scientist  and  the  country.  I  will  cite  but 
one  instance  of  the  many  in  mind.  It  is  proposed  to  set 
up  a  winter  and  a  summer  representation  of  the  Eskimo 
camp,  with  life-size  groups  and  complete  accessories; 
those  groups  will  possess  extreme  interest  for  every  visitor 
to  the  building.  Without  the  advice  and  the  knowledge 
of  Mr.  Peary,  we  would  be  very  much  hampered  in  its 
preparation.  Beyond  this,  there  is  the  valuable  infor- 
mation he  has  acquired,  which  is  needed  in  the  forma- 
tion of  labels  for  the  objects.  I  feel  convinced  that  you 
will  appreciate  the  position  I  take  in  the  matter,  without 
going  more  into  detail,  and  you  will  pardon  me,  I  hope, 
in  conclusion,  for  earnestly  urging  upon  you  the  wish 
of  my  associate  trustees  (whose  names  are  attached)  that 
if  a  change  is  contemplated  for  Mr.  Peary,  you  will  con- 
sider favorably  our  appeal  to  retain  him  at  least  for  the 
present  in  the  assignment  to  duty  in  Brooklyn. 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE     195 

I  believe  that  the  Navy  Department  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  everything  that  pertains  to  science,  or  that  which 
will  conduce  to  the  public  good,  and  I  beg  to  assure 
you  that  your  kindly  aid  and  co-operation  in  our  present 
needs  will  be  gratefully  appreciated. 
I  have  the  honor  to  remain. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 
(Signed)  Morris  K.  Jesup,  President} 

The  interest  which  Mr.  Jesup  expresses  in  Mr.  Peary 
in  this  letter  continued  unabated  until  his  death.  As 
time  went  on,  the  two  men  were  drawn  closer  and  closer 
together,  and  Mr.  Jesup,  whose  connection  had  been 
simply  that  of  a  friendly  adviser  in  his  work  of  explora- 
tion, became  his  foremost  advocate  and  support  in  the 
more  ambitious  scheme  to  which  he  soon  turned.  When, 
in  1898,  he  obtained  leave  from  President  McKinley  to 
prosecute  further  exploration  in  the  North,  and  was  ob- 
liged to  address  himself  to  the  task  of  providing  ways 
and  means,  Mr.  Jesup  was  the  first  to  be  called  upon. 
His  response  was  what  might  have  been  expected.  A 
meeting  of  the  subscribers  to  the  guarantee  fund  was 
held  in  his  office  in  Pine  Street  in  January,  1899.  This 
was  the  birth  of  the  Peary  Arctic  Club,  the  inception  and 
organization  of  which  was  entirely  Mr.  Jesup's  idea,  and 
his  alone.  Mr.  Jesup  was  unanimously  chosen  President 
of  the  Club,  an  office  which  he  held  until  his  death. 

The  expedition  of  1898,  which  had  been  originally 
planned  for  three  years,  extended  to  a  fourth,  and  dur- 
ing this  whole  time  Mr.  Jesup's  interest  was  continuous, 
his  connection  with  the  details  constant,  and  his  counsel 

^The  application  proved  unsuccessful,  although  the  Department,  at  Mr.  Jesup's 
request,  granted  a  brief  extension  of  time.  Mr.  Jesup's  persistence  in  the  mat- 
ter is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  carried  his  appeal  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


196  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

and  supervision  of  affairs  unremitting.  The  cost  of  the 
auxiliary  Diana  and  Eric  expeditions,  the  repairs  and  re- 
engining  of  the  Club's  first  steamer  Windward,  were  all 
practically  underwritten  by  Mr.  Jesup,  and  in  further 
details  the  Club  had  the  benefit  of  his  resources,  both  in 
credit  and  experience,  and  in  counsel. 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  this  expedition  Com- 
mander Peary  had  already  begun  to  develop  his  plans 
for  an  attack  upon  the  Pole.  When  these  were  explained 
to  Mr.  Jesup  he  heartily  responded.  From  the  first  he 
believed  in  the  possibility  of  the  enterprise  and  had  con- 
fidence in  the  man  who  proposed  it.  When  his  friends 
remonstrated  with  him  for  wasting  his  time  and  his 
money  on  a  useless  quest,  he  used  to  respond:  "I  trust 
Peary,  I  believe  he  will  find  the  Pole.'* 

This  faith  found  practical  expression  in  connection 
with  the  preparations  for  Commander  Peary's  next  ex- 
pedition, which  took  place  in  1905.  In  order  to  facilitate 
this  the  Peary  Club  was  regularly  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  State,  and  preparations  for  active  work 
begun.  With  Mr.  Jesup's  sanction,  and  entirely  upon 
his  responsibility,  contracts  were  made  for  building  the 
Club's  steamer,  the  Roosevelt.  Mr.  Jesup  followed  all 
the  details  of  construction,  and  himself  closed  the  con- 
tract with  the  contractor.  The  last  stop  made  by  the 
Roosevelt  before  its  voyage  for  the  North  was  at  Bar 
Harbor,  Mr.  Jesup's  summer  home,  where  he  himself 
visited  the  ship  and  bade  the  intrepid  voyager  Godspeed. 

The  story  of  this  voyage  is  well  known,  and  need  not 
here  be  rehearsed.  When  Commander  Peary  returned 
after  his  arduous  efforts,  having  attained  latitude  87°  6', 
which   was   at  that  time   farthest  North,   and   left  Mr. 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE     197 

Jesup's  name  upon  the  northernmost  point  of  land  in 
the  world,  many  of  Mr.  Jesup's  friends  believed  that 
he  had  done  all  that  could  wisely  be  done  in  this  direction, 
and  urged  him  to  turn  his  energy  to  other  things.  Even 
his  old  friends  in  the  Peary  Arctic  Club  began  to  waver, 
and  it  may  be  said  with  truth  that  the  only  two  men 
who  still  believed  in  the  possibility  of  a  successful  com- 
pletion of  the  enterprise  were  Commander  Peary  and  Mr. 
Jesup  himself.  He,  however,  never  wavered.  By  his 
counsel,  and  largely  through  his  means,  plans  for  another 
expedition  were  formulated,  the  expedition  which,  as  we 
all  know,  was  at  last  crowned  with  success. 

For  Mr.  Jesup  himself  the  triumph  came  too  late. 
While  Mr.  Peary  was  still  engaged  in  his  preparations — 
preparations  delayed  for  a  full  year  through  the  failure 
of  the  contractors  to  whom  the  refitting  of  the  Roosevelt 
had  been  committed  to  complete  their  repairs  on  time — 
the  news  came  to  him  that  the  tried  friend  on  whose 
support  he  had  hitherto  all  along  relied  had  been  called  on 
a  longer  journey.  "It  was  the  heaviest  calamity,"  he 
writes,  "which  I  had  encountered  in  all  my  arctic  work. 
Without  Mr.  Jesup's  promised  help  the  future  expedition 
seemed  impossible.  In  him  I  lost  not  only  a  man  who 
was  financially  a  tower  of  strength  in  the  work,  but  I  lost 
an  intimate  personal  friend  in  whom  I  had  absolute  trust. 
For  a  time  I  felt  as  if  this  was  the  end  of  everything; 
that  all  the  time  and  money  put  into  the  project  had 
been  wasted.  Mr.  Jesup's  death,  coming  on  top  of  the 
delay  caused  by  the  default  of  the  contractors,  seemed 
at  first  an  absolutely  paralyzing  defeat."  ^ 

But  the  project  had  gone  too  far  to  be  allowed  to  fail. 

^  Hampton's  Magazine,  January,  1910,  p.  13. 


198  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Mr.  Jesup's  friends  in  the  Arctic  Club,  "the  old  guard 
who  had  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  him  from  its 
inception,  now  stood  firm  to  keep  the  organization  of 
the  Club  intact.  General  Hubbard  accepted  the  presi- 
dency and  added  a  second  large  check  to  his  already 
generous  contribution.  Other  men  came  forward  and 
the  crisis  was  passed."  The  preparations  went  on  as 
had  been  originally  planned,  and  on  July  6,  1908,  the 
Roosevelt  steamed  slowly  away  from  her  berth  beside 
the  recreation  pier  at  the  foot  of  East  Twenty-fourth 
Street,  on  the  expedition  which  was  at  last  to  be  crowned 
with  success. 

From  the  guests  who  gathered  on  board  the  Roosevelt 
to  wish  its  crew  Godspeed,  one  face  was  missing.  When 
after  herculean  efforts  the  coveted  goal  was  reached  at 
last,  the  one  thought  that  robbed  the  triumph  of  its  com- 
plete satisfaction  was  the  knowledge  that  Mr.  Jesup  was 
no  longer  living  to  share  it.  The  little  snow  camp  which 
sheltered  the  weary  travellers  during  the  few  hours 
which  they  were  able  to  spend  at  the  Pole,  was  named 
Camp  Jesup  as  the  expression  of  a  grateful  appreciation, 
possible  in  no  other  way;  and  when  communication  was 
established  on  the  return  journey  the  same  wire  which 
bore  the  first  news  of  the  discovery  of  the  Pole  carried  a 
message  to  Mrs.  Jesup  expressing  Mr.  Peary's  grief  that 
Mr.  Jesup  would  not  be  there  to  welcome  him  on  his 
home-coming  and  to  share  the  joy  of  the  achievement. 

What  Mr.  Peary  thought  of  Mr.  Jesup's  services  to 
arctic  exploration  may  be  learned  from  the  closing  words 
of  the  article  in  which  he  gave  the  public  the  first  account 
of  the  expedition  which  reached  the  Pole : 

"All  the  dearly  bought  years  of  experience,  the  mag- 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  NORTH  POLE     199 

nificent  strength  of  the  Roosevelt,  the  splendid  energy 
and  enthusiasm  of  my  party,  the  loyal  faithfulness  of  my 
Eskimos,  would  have  gone  for  naught,  but  for  the  neces- 
saries of  war  furnished  so  loyally  by  the  members  of  the 
Peary  Arctic  Club ;  and  it  is  no  detraction  from  the  living 
to  say  that  to  no  single  individual  has  this  result  been  more 
signally  due  than  to  my  friend,  the  late  Morris  K.  Jesup, 
the  first  President  of  the  Club/' 

On  Wednesday,  February  9,  19 10,  a  distinguished 
company  met  in  the  Museum  to  witness  the  unveiling  of  a 
statue  of  Mr.  Jesup  by  Mr.  Couper.  In  the  course  of 
Mr.  Choate's  tribute  to  his  old  friend  and  fellow  trustee, 
he    read    the    following  letter  from  Commander  Peary. 

February  9,   19 10. 
Dear  Sir: 

It  is  with  the  deepest  regret  that  I  am  obliged  to  say 
that  an  engagement  in  another  city  which  cannot  be  post- 
poned, will  make  it  impossible  for  me  to  be  present  this 
afternoon  on  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  of 
my  friend,  Morris  K.  Jesup. 

His  breadth  of  mind  and  character  is  perhaps  in  no  way 
indicated  more  clearly  than  by  the  wide  range  of  his 
interests,  as  shown  by  the  two  projects  in  which  his  heart 
was  most  deeply  centred,  the  future  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  the  discovery  of  the 
North  Pole. 

The  fact  that  such  a  big,  broad,  practical  mind  as  his 
should  take  up  with  such  deep  and  steadfast  interest  the 
question  of  North  Pole  efforts,  proved  to  me  conclusively 
that  my  own  conviction  of  the  value  of  those  efforts  was 
correct. 

To  Morris  K.  Jesup,  more  than  to  any  other  one  man, 
is  due  the  fact  that  the  North  Pole  is  to-day  a  trophy  of 
this  country. 


200  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

His  faith  and  support  carried  me  past  many  a  dead 
centre  of  discouragement  amounting  almost  to  despair. 

Friend  of  unswerving  faith,  adviser  of  keen,  long- 
headed ability,  backer  of  princely  generosity,  he  was  first 
in  my  thoughts  when  I  reached  that  goal  of  the  centuries, 
first  in  my  thoughts  on  my  return,  and  my  ever  present 
regret  is  and  has  been  that  he  could  not  have  stayed  with 
us  a  little  longer  to  see  the  realization  of  his  faith. 
Faithfully, 

(Signed)  R.  E.  Peary,  U.  S.  N. 

President  Henry  Fairfield  Osborn, 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 


CHAPTER  XII 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE 


'IXT'ITH  the  account  of  Mr.  Jesup's  presidency  of  the 
Museum  we  have  finished  the  story  of  his  public 
service,  but  there  was  another  side  to  his  life  which  it  is 
necessary  to  add  in  order  to  complete  the  picture  of  the 
man,  and  that  is  the  side  which  was  revealed  in  his  home. 
The  more  intimate  features  of  this  picture  it  would,  of 
course,  be  out  of  place  for  us  to  attempt  to  reproduce  here, 
but  so  much  of  himself  as  he  showed  to  those  friends 
who  enjoyed  his  confidence  and  shared  his  hospitality 
may  properly  form  a  part  of  our  record. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  married  on  April  26,  1854,  to  Maria 
Van  Antwerp  De  Witt,  second  daughter  of  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Thomas  De  Witt,  at  that  time  Minister  of  the  Colle- 
giate Church  of  New  York.  The  acquaintance  of  the 
families  had  begun  some  years  before  when  Dr.  De 
Witt  had  been  called  in  to  conduct  the  funeral  service  of 
one  of  Mr.  Jesup's  sisters.  A  member  of  an  old  Dutch 
family,  he  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  ministerial 
life  of  New  York.  Among  many  other  good  works,  he 
was  President  of  the  City  Mission  Society,  into  which 
he  introduced  his  future  son-in-law.  The  relation  between 
the  two  men  became  an  intimate  one,  and  the  esteem  and 


202  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

reverence  in  which  Mr.  Jesup  held  his  father-in-law  was 
fitly  expressed  in  his  gift  of  the  De  Witt  Memorial  Church, 
already  described  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesup  became  engaged  in  the  fall  of  1853. 
They  spent  the  first  year  of  their  married  life  with  Mrs. 
Jesup's  father,  and  then  took  a  house  in  Nineteenth 
Street,  where  they  lived  for  ten  years.  Later  they  re- 
moved to  their  present  home  at  No.  197  Madison  Avenue. 
When  his  expanding  interests  rendered  more  room 
necessary  Mr.  Jesup  bought  the  adjoining  house.  No. 
195,  and  united  the  two.  Here  as  time  went  on  he  gath- 
ered about  him  a  store  of  interesting  and  beautiful  objects 
which  will  always  be  associated  with  him  in  the  thoughts 
of  those  whose  privilege  it  was  to  enter  its  walls.  Here 
he  welcomed  his  friends,  as  the  years  went  on,  and  from 
this  centre  in  an  increasing  degree  radiated  a  stream 
of  beneficent  influences  which  touched  all  parts  of  the 
country  and  extended  across  the  sea. 

The  sharp  division  which  some  men  draw  between 
home  and  business  did  not  exist  for  Mr.  Jesup.  He 
carried  his  work  home  with  him  and  welcomed  to  his 
intimacy  those  who  were  associated  with  him  in  it.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  recall  the  important  enterprises 
which  had  their  inception  under  his  roof.  Here,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  held  the  meeting  which  led  to  the  formation 
of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Vice.  Here  was  given 
the  dinner  which  inaugurated  the  formation  of  the  Slater 
Fund.  Here  met  the  Committee  of  Five,  which  marks  the 
beginning  of  the  movement  for  clean  streets  in  the  City  of 
New  York.  Here  was  held  one  of  the  first  meetings  which 
led  to  the  formation  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History.     Here  Mrs.  Peary  explained  her  plan  for  the 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  203 

expedition  which  was  to  bring  her  husband  back  from 
the  north.  Here  too  were  welcomed  from  time  to  time 
men  prominent  in  public  life  and  in  charitable  and  phil- 
anthropic work.  When  Baron  Kaneko  came  here  on  his 
momentous  mission  Mr.  Jesup's  was  one  of  the  homes 
in  which  he  received  a  friendly  welcome.  When  Sir 
Purdon  Clarke  came  from  South  Kensington  to  assume 
the  directorship  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  one  of  the 
first  to  extend  him  welcome  was  Mr.  Jesup.  The  list 
of  those  who  from  first  to  last  shared  his  hospitality- 
would  include  a  surprisingly  large  proportion  of  those 
best  worth  knowing  both  in  this  country  and  across  the 
sea  during  the  last  fifty  years. 

Those  whose  privilege  it  was  to  enjoy  this  hospitality 
carried  away  a  very  vivid  picture  of  the  man  who  was 
their  host.  Every  true  home  is  the  expression  of  person- 
ality, and  Mr.  Jesup's  was  no  exception.  The  pictures 
on  the  walls  had  their  own  story  to  tell,  and  the  books  on 
the  shelves  their  own  contribution  to  make. 

One  of  these  pictures  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
mention.  It  was  called  "A  Summer  Afternoon,"  and 
represented  a  broad  expanse  of  woodland  and  meadow 
lying  mellow  and  golden  under  the  rays  of  the  declining 
sun.  When  Mr.  Jesup  was  a  young  man  he  used  to  walk 
from  his  home  to  his  office,  and  his  path  took  him  past 
a  picture-dealer's  store,  in  the  window  of  which  this 
picture  was  hanging.  To  the  country  boy,  longing  for  the 
freedom  of  woods  and  fields,  in  the  midst  of  which  he 
had  been  brought  up,  it  appealed  with  an  irresistible 
fascination,  and  many  a  time  as  he  stopped  in  his  walk  to 
look  at  it  he  used  to  think  how  happy  he  would  be  if  he 
could  ever  own  it.     Years  afterward  when  his  circum- 


204  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

stances  had  improved  and  he  was  established  in  business 
for  himself  he  came  across  the  picture  again  and,  though 
the  price  was  high  and  there  were  other  uses  to  which  he 
had  intended  to  put  his  money,  the  desire  to  possess  it 
proved  too  strong  and,  before  he  realized  it,  the  transac- 
tion was  completed  and  the  coveted  prize  on  its  way  to 
his  own  home. 

The  picture  had  many  successors,  but  each  was  chosen 
with  the  same  care.  Great  names  were  represented  in  the 
collection,  from  Rembrandt  down,  but  they  were  not  chosen 
for  the  sake  of  the  name,  but  because  the  subject  ap- 
pealed to  Mr.  Jesup  for  its  own  sake.  Nothing  delighted 
him  more  than  to  point  out  to  his  friends  the  qualities 
which  had  attracted  him  in  some  of  his  favorites  and  to 
make  them  sharers  in  his  own  enjoyment. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  not  a  great  reader.  He  preferred  to 
gain  his  information  through  contact  with  men.  But 
when  he  read,  it  was  almost  always  on  subjects  that  were 
worth  while.  He  did  not  care  for  novels,  but  in  books  of 
travel  and  description  he  took  delight.  His  work  at  the 
Museum  had  brought  him  into  intimate  contact  with 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  any  book  that  would  bring 
him  fresh  information  as  to  some  new  feat  in  exploration,  or 
some  new  object  of  natural  interest,  was  a  welcome  visitor. 

Curiously  enough,  he  was  not  himself  fond  of  travel. 
From  time  to  time  he  visited  Europe,  and  his  business  took 
him  to  various  parts  of  this  country,  but  he  did  not  like 
to  separate  himself  for  any  long  period  of  time  from  his 
home  ties.  He  preferred  to  do  his  travelling  vicariously, 
and,  as  he  grew  older,  became  increasingly  content  to 
see  other  lands  through  the  eyes  of  other  men.  He  had 
a  rare  faculty  for  visualizing  distant  scenes.     He  never 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  205 

visited  the  college  at  Beirut,  yet  he  used  to  say,  and  with 
truth,  that  he  could  see  the  grounds  and  the  buildings  upon 
them  as  vividly  as  if  they  were  physically  present  before 
his  eyes. 

Mr.  Jesup's  first  country  home  was  at  Irvington,  where 
he  bought  a  house  in  1857.  Here  Mrs.  Jesup  and  he 
spent  their  summers  until  1867.  In  1885  he  built  a 
cottage  at  Bar  Harbor  which  he  occupied  in  the  follow- 
ing year. 

Mr.  Jesup  entered  heartily  into  the  life  of  Bar  Harbor. 
He  interested  himself  in  the  Village  Improvement  Society. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  helped  to  erect  its  building. 
When  a  gambling  resort  was  opened,  which  threatened 
the  young  men  of  the  village,  he  was  active  in  breaking 
it  up.  When  the  automobile  threatened  to  invade  the 
quiet  of  Mount  Desert  he  was  foremost  in  organizing  a 
movement  in  opposition.  Even  when  on  the  water  he  did 
not  leave  his  responsibilities  behind  him.  Mr.  Delafield 
recalls  that  on  one  occasion  when  an  important  question 
had  to  be  decided  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  college 
at  Beirut,  Mr.  Jesup  gathered  the  gentlemen  whose  coun- 
sel was  essential  on  his  boat,  ran  out  over  the  quiet  waters 
of  Frenchman's  Bay,  and,  in  the  seclusion  of  the  cabin, 
threshed  out  the  question  to  its  right  solution.  Only 
when  this  was  done  had  he  leisure  for  the  beauties  of  the 
marvellous  panorama  through  the  midst  of  which  they 
were  sailing. 

But  it  was  at  Lenox  that  Mr.  Jesup's  enjoyment  of 
nature  found  its  chief  satisfaction.  Coming  to  the 
place  first  as  a  visitor,  he  found  it  so  attractive  that 
from  1892  on  he  made  it   his  permanent  home.     After 


2o6  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

careful  study  he  selected  the  site  on  the  hill  immediately 
below  the  ledge  of  woods  which  commands  what,  in 
the  opinion  of  many  visitors,  is  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  the  beautiful  views  of  that  most  favored  bit  of  pict- 
uresque America.  The  place  was  in  a  peculiar  sense 
Mr.  Jesup's  own  creation.  He  selected  the  site,  he  located 
the  house,  he  planned  the  place,  he  laid  out  the  roads,  he 
chose  for  his  own  study  the  spot  which  commanded  his 
favorite  view,  where  he  would  sit  hour  after  hour  feast- 
ing his  eyes  on  the  glory  of  the  opposite  hills  in  the  gor- 
geous pageantry  of  their  autumn  coloring;  or,  in  the 
morning,  sallying  forth,  hatchet  in  hand,  he  would  wan- 
der through  the  woods  at  the  edge  of  his  place,  trimming 
the  stray  branches  which  had  wandered  too  far  across 
the  path,  filling  his  soul  with  the  beauty  which  he  loved 
so  well,  yet  always  showing  to  those  who  were  privileged 
to  be  his  companions  in  these  morning  walks  that  his 
thoughts  were  busy  with  those  far  away  in  the  great  cities, 
into  whose  lives  no  such  beauty  ever  entered. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  a  great  lover  of  animals.  He  loved  a 
good  dog  and  always  had  one  for  a  companion  on  his 
walks.  He  loved  a  good  horse  and  delighted  in  the  long 
drives  which  Lenox  provides  in  such  ceaseless  variety. 
When  he  first  bought  his  house  in  New  York  it  was  con- 
sidered quite  out  of  town,  and  he  used  to  ride  from  his 
house  to  his  office  every  day,  keeping  his  horse  in  a 
stable  near  by  and  riding  home  again  in  the  afternoon. 
He  had  a  saddle-horse,  of  which  he  was  particularly 
fond,  which  he  rode  for  many  years.  During  the  time 
when  Central  Park  was  being  laid  out,  it  was  his  habit  to 
ride  over  the  ground  and  watch  the  progress  of  the  work, 
in  which  he  was  deeply  interested.    He  was  a  fearless  rider 


t^/iy  ./:tat^yA^J  ^yo/^^- 


t^cj^-f^^^e^ 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  207 

and  driver,  if  anything  a  little  inclined  to  be  reckless, 
though  he  always  liked  to  have  a  safe  horse,  so  that  he 
could  enjoy  the  scenery  as  he  drove.  He  loved  every 
kind  of  living  creature  and  sympathized  with  the  efforts 
which  were  made  to  protect  them.  His  love  for  birds 
led  to  his  accepting  the  presidency  of  the  Audubon  So- 
ciety, and  his  desire  to  see  justice  done  to  the  four-footed 
creation,  to  his  acceptance  of  the  vice-presidency  of 
the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals. 

Of  his  love  for  trees  we  have  spoken  more  than  once. 
One  little  incident  illustrates  this  in  so  striking  a  manner 
as  to  deserve  mention  here.  On  one  of  his  drives  Mr. 
Jesup  happened  upon  a  man  who  was  just  about  to  cut 
down  a  very  handsome  elm  tree,  which  was  one  of  the 
landmarks  of  that  part  of  the  country.  He  stopped  and 
asked  the  owner  if  he  realized  what  he  was  doing,  and 
how  long  it  had  taken  the  tree  to  grow.  The  man  re- 
plied that  he  was  doing  it  because  he  needed  the  money 
which  he  could  get  for  selling  the  wood.  Mr.  Jesup 
thereupon  asked  him  what  he  would  sell  the  tree  for  and, 
on  his  naming  the  price,  concluded  the  bargain  on  the 
spot.  A  deed  was  duly  drawn  and  executed  and  to  the 
end  of  its  natural  life  that  tree  will  remain  a  silent  witness 
of  Mr.  Jesup's  love  of  the  forest  monarchs,  for  whose  pre- 
servation he  has  done  so  much. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  fortunate  in  his  friends.  He  was  not  a 
club  man,  in  the  conventional  sense  of  the  term.  While 
he  was  a  member  of  a  number  of  important  clubs,  such 
as  the  Metropolitan  and  the  Century  of  New  York,  the 
Rittenhouse  at  Philadelphia,  the  Metropolitan  at  Wash- 
ington, and  the  Jekyl  Island  Club,  he  preferred  to  enter- 
tain his  friends  at  home,  or  to  see  them  in  their  own  homes. 


2o8  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

Of  these  friends  we  have  already  more  than  once  had 
occasion  to  speak.  They  included  most  of  the  people 
best  worth  knowing  in  his  own  community  and  time. 
The  different  interests  with  which  he  was  associated  had 
brought  him  into  close  touch  with  the  men  who  were 
doing  the  world's  work  and  contributing  to  its  progress. 
Many  of  these  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  name: 
men  like  Mr.  Hewitt,  Mr.  Loring  Brace,  Mr.  William 
E.  Dodge,  Mr.  D.  Willis  James,  Mr.  John  Stewart  Ken- 
nedy, Mr.  John  Crosby  Brown,  to  mention  only  those 
who  have  passed  away.  In  the  interchange  of  opinion 
with  such  men  as  these,  his  associates  in  work  as  well 
as  in  play,  he  loved  to  pass  the  hours  of  his  leisure.  He 
had  little  interest  in  meeting  people  who  had  no  serious 
purpose  in  life  and  from  whom  there  was  nothing  to  be 
learned.  "Nothing  used  to  impress  me  more  about 
Mr.  Jesup,"  said  one  who  knew  him  well,  "than  the 
character  of  the  men  whom  he  made  his  friends.  You 
could  always  be  sure  that  at  his  table  you  would  meet 
people  from  whom  there  was  something  to  be  learned.'* 
One  of  the  members  of  his  own  family  connection,* 
who  had  known  him  intimately  from  childhood,  writes  me 
of  his  "striking  purity  of  mind,  his  strong  dislike  of  any- 
thing common  or  coarse.  He  had  a  contempt  for  idle 
gossip,  which  grew  more  pronounced,  as  did  his  tolerance 
for  all  whose  views  did  not  accord  with  his  ovm.  I  have 
seen  him  start  forward  impulsively  with  a  frown  when 
some  idle  judgment  was  given,  and  then  with  a  quiet 
smile,  change  the  subject,  or  ask  for  substantiating  rea- 
sons, for  he  never  willingly  did  injustice.  During  one  of 
my  visits  to  Lenox  he  and  I  and  his  faithful  dog  Wil- 

*  Mrs.  T.  C.  Patterson. 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  209 

fred,  a  magnificent  smooth-coated  St.  Bernard,  used  to  go 
every  morning  to  the  woods  above  the  house  and  there, 
with  hatchet  and  saw,  we  went  amongst  the  trees,  prun- 
ing and  clearing  and  opening  vistas.  Then  we  would 
rest  upon  some  rustic  bench,  and  he  would  seem  to 
drink  in  and  absorb  the  lovely  view,  or  he  would  talk 
of  some  one  of  the  many  interests  which  were  close  to  his 
heart.  'So  much  to  do,  and  so  little  time  in  which  to  do 
it,'  were  words  constantly  upon  his  lips.  As  is  the  case 
with  all  great  men,  he  had  much  simpHcity  of  character 
and  was  always  eager  to  learn  from  any  one  who  could 
really  instruct  him.  At  his  table  one  met  constantly 
people  of  interest,  and  no  self-consciousness  ever  kept 
Mr.  Jesup  from  asking  questions,  however  elemental,  in 
order  to  gain  information.  I  do  not  believe  he  ever  con- 
tributed to  any  object  about  which  he  had  not  fully  in- 
formed himself,  no  matter  at  what  inconvenience  to  him- 
self." 

A  similar  judgment  is  expressed  by  his  lifelong  friend, 
Mr.  Thatcher  M.  Adams:  "If  I  am  asked  to  say  what 
in  my  judgment  was  the  one  controlling  maxim  on  which 
he  framed  his  life  I  should  quote  the  proverb  familiar  to 
our  boyhood,  'Be  sure  you're  right,  then  go  ahead.'  Mr. 
Jesup  was  by  nature  and  instinct  impulsive,  his  im- 
pulses were  large  and  generous,  easily  responsive  to  out- 
side impression  but  kept  under  full  control.  I  never 
knew  a  man  more  easily  approached  and  more  readily 
interested  in  any  subject  properly  presented  to  him,  but 
however  interested  he  always  asked  time  for  consideration 
before  giving  a  definite  answer.  The  one  phrase  which 
I  remember  as  more  frequently  upon  his  lips  than  any 
other  was,  'I  must  think  it  over  carefully.'     This  habit 


2IO  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

of  careful  deliberation  was  with  him  a  ruling  principle. 
Whatever  the  subject,  whatever  the  cause,  he  weighed 
and  turned  it  in  his  mind  until  he  reached  a  definite 
conclusion.  It  was  so  with  religion,  with  philanthropy, 
with  civic  duty,  with  social  observance,  with  his  multi- 
farious business  affairs.  The  conclusion  once  reached, 
there  was  no  hesitation,  no  varying  even  for  an  instant 
from  the  course  which  he  had  decided  upon.  And  in 
following  that  course  he  spared  neither  himself,  his 
time,  nor  his  purse.  This  inflexibility  of  purpose  some- 
times and  in  certain  quarters  was  called  obstinacy,  but 
the  results  almost  invariably  justified  his  constancy.  I 
remember  one  trifling  instance.  In  laying  out  the  grounds 
of  his  beautiful  estate  at  Lenox  there  was  a  question  as 
to  the  proper  location  of  the  upper  approach  or  driveway. 
Mr.  Jesup,  after  careful  thought,  mapped  out  a  certain 
line  for  the  driveway  and  submitted  it  successively  to  two 
of  the  most  eminent  landscape  gardeners  of  the  country, 
one  of  whom  was  then  engaged  as  his  landscape  architect. 
Both  turned  it  down  as  impracticable  and  unsightly,  the 
gentleman  then  in  his  employ  stating  that  if  Mr.  Jesup's 
plan  was  insisted  on  he  should  feel  compelled  to  resign 
his  engagement.  Mr.  Jesup's  plan  was  insisted  on  and 
carried  out,  and  no  one  traverses  that  driveway  to-day 
without  expressions  of  admiration  at  its  beauty  and  practi- 
cability. As  in  minor,  so  in  greater  matters  this  adherence 
to  settled  conviction  as  the  result  of  thoughtful  and  ex- 
haustive examination  produced  substantial  effects." 

"In  the  best  sense  of  the  word,"  writes  President 
Howard  Bliss,  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  at  Beirut, 
"Mr.  Jesup  was  a  'man  of  the  world.'     But  he  never 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  211 

forgot  that  it  was  God's  world.  He  loved  flowers  and 
trees  and  dogs  and  people  with  his  great  heart  because  he 
believed  that  back  of  all  this  wonderful  world  of  things 
and  persons  was  God. 

"*Back  of  the  loaf  is  the  snowy  flour. 
And  back  of  the  flour  the  mill; 
And  back  of  the  mill  is  the  wheat  and  the  shower, 
And  the  sun,  and  the  Father's  will/ 

"I  remember  how  he  made  me  repeat  several  times 
Tennyson's  'Flower  in  the  crannied  wall,'  as  we  were 
walking  one  day  through  his  beloved  woods  at  Lenox. 
He  had  never  happened  to  hear  that  little  poem,  and  it 
touched  him  deeply." 

"The  first  time  that  I  saw  Mr.  Jesup,"  writes  the 
Reverend  William  R.  Richards,  D.D.,  "was  at  his  own 
dinner  table,  on  Monday,  the  12th  of  May,  1902.  He 
had  just  come  from  downtown,  and  was  evidently  in  a 
state  of  great  excitement,  as  of  a  man  who  had  just  suc- 
ceeded in  accomplishing  something  which  gave  him  the 
greatest  satisfaction.  We  soon  learned  that  he  had  been 
busy  through  the  day  over  questions  arising  out  of  the 
dreadful  volcanic  eruption  on  the  Island  of  Martinique. 
And  first  he  told  us  how  he  had  succeeded  in  purchas- 
ing, in  the  name  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  trusting 
that  they  would  subsequently  ratify  his  action,  two  or 
three  vessels  loaded  with  grain  which  were  on  their  way 
to  St.  Pierre.  The  parties  to  whom  these  vessels  were 
consigned  had  all  been  destroyed  in  the  volcanic  erup- 
tion, and  he  had  telegraphed  to  the  American  Consul  at 
the  nearest  port  on  the  Island  to  take  possession  of  the 


212  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

vessels  and  their  cargoes  when  they  should  arrive,  and 
use  the  latter  for  the  relief  of  the  many  hungry  people  on 
the  Island. 

"The  other  thing  was  that  he  had  secured  passage  on 
the  first  ship  leaving  New  York  for  the  scene  of  the  dis- 
aster, for  a  scientist  who  was  to  go  on  behalf  of  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  to  make  the  earliest  pos- 
sible investigations  as  to  the  phenomena  of  the  eruption 
itself. 

"  I  was  very  deeply  impressed  at  this,  my  first  interview 
with  Mr.  Jesup,  with  the  fact  that  this  man  was  quite  as 
keenly  interested  in  these  matters  of  public  interest — ^the 
relief  of  the  victims  of  a  great  disaster,  and  the  extension 
of  the  scientific  knowledge  of  the  world — as  most  men 
would  have  been  in  something  that  contributed  greatly 
to  the  increase  of  their  own  private  fortunes. 

"At  another  time  he  and  I  were  both  guests  at  a  dinner 
given  at  the  University  Club  by  one  of  the  ministers  of 
this  city  to  another  who  had  recently  been  called  to  one 
of  the  churches  here.  A  number  of  pastors  were  invited  to 
the  dinner,  and  also  a  few  prominent  Presbyterian  lay- 
men. The  giver  of  the  dinner  desired  to  improve  the 
opportunity  of  this  gathering  to  arouse  increased  interest 
in  the  cause  of  Church  Extension  in  New  York.  He 
called  upon  various  speakers,  including  many  of  the  minis- 
ters, who  responded  in  more  or  less  serious  tone,  but 
somewhat  in  the  manner  of  men  who  are  speaking  after 
dinner;  but  at  last  called  upon  Mr  Jesup.  Mr.  Jesup 
was  so  completely  possessed  by  this  question  of  public 
interest — the  evangelization  of  this  great  city — that  he 
spoke  in  a  tone  of  impassioned  earnestness  for  some  five 
or  ten  minutes,  and  left  so  profound  an  impression  on  all 


IN  THE   HOME  CIRCLE  213 

who  were  present  that  we  all  approved  the  wisdom  of 
our  host  when  he  rose  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Jesup's  re- 
marks and  said:  *We  do  not  wish  to  hear  anything 
after  that;  we  wish  to  separate  with  the  impression  of 
those  words  still  in  our  hearts/  " 

''From  the  time  that  I  first  knew  Mr.  Jesup,"  writes 
Bishop  Lawrence,  "it  must  be  now  twenty  to  twenty-five 
years  ago,  until  his  last  summer,  I  was  impressed  each 
time  that  we  met  with  his  rapid  and  steady  development 
in  wisdom  and  character.  Some  men  seem  to  reach  the 
climax  of  their  development  at  forty;  others,  at  sixty; 
and  a  few  continue  to  the  very  end  of  life.  To  this  last 
group  Mr.  Jesup  belonged.  He  was  a  man  not  only  of 
deep,  but  of  very  strong  and  tenacious  convictions. 
As  he  grew  older  these  convictions  were  no  less  strong 
and  deep;  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  held  them  with  a 
fuller  appreciation  of  the  convictions  of  other  men  who 
did  not  agree  with  him,  and  he  was  much  more  open  to 
adjustment  of  his  opinions.  He  never  felt  himself  too  old 
or  too  wise  to  learn  from  others.  His  wisdom  became 
greater  each  year  through  many  experiences,  and  his 
contact  with  a  large  variety  of  men  in  all  walks  of  life. 

"This  growth  in  largeness  of  outlook,  while  he  retained 
his  depth  of  conviction,  could  be  seen  in  every  interest  of 
his  life.  His  theology  was  surely  very  different  when  he 
was  seventy  from  what  it  was  at  the  age  of  forty.  The 
fundamental  truths  were  there  all  the  time;  but  there 
was  a  breadth  of  vision  and  a  recognition  of  the  convic- 
tions of  others  and  the  beauties  of  the  faiths  of  others.  I 
believe  that  this  was  true  also  in  connection  with  his  com- 
mercial and  political  interests.     One  could  not,  therefore. 


214  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

talk  with  Mr.  Jesup  in  his  later  years  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  a 
really  large  man,  tenacious  of  his  convictions,  to  be  sure, 
but  wise,  strong,  and  sympathetic. 

"Another  characteristic  of  Mr.  Jesup,  recognized  by  all, 
was  his  public  spirit.  The  temper  of  Mr.  Jesup's  public 
spirit  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  somewhat  unique  in 
this  respect.  Many  young  men  throw  themselves  into 
public  duties;  but  as  they  get  to  be  fifty  or  sixty  years 
of  age,  and  larger  responsibilities  come  to  them,  they 
somewhat  justly  feel  that  they  can  graduate  from  the 
smaller  interests  and  leave  them  to  the  next  generation. 
Few  citizens  have  had  thrown  upon  them  greater  public 
interests  than  he  in  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  his  life; 
and  the  real  glory  of  his  public  spirit  was  in  the  way  in 
which  he  rfefused  to  be  graduated  from  the  smallest  public 
interests.  Wherever  he  lived  he  had  the  social  and  moral 
welfare  of  the  community  at  heart.  In  the  villages  of 
Lenox  or  Bar  Harbor  he  was  as  much  the  leader  of  civic 
righteousness  and  of  all  that  was  for  the  welfare  of  the 
humblest,  as  in  the  great  city  of  New  York.  Coming 
to  these  communities  for  his  holiday  and  for  rest  after  his 
heavy  public  work  in  New  York,  he  was  almost  immedi- 
ately drawn  into  the  local  problems.  If  in  one  of  the  vil- 
lages, a  plague-spot  was  called  to  his  notice  by  the  people, 
Mr.  Jesup  would  take  the  lead  in  rooting  it  out  of  the 
town.  Whether  a  demoralizing  public  influence  affected 
ten  people,  or  a  hundred,  or  a  hundred  thousand,  it  made 
but  little  difference  to  him.  His  sympathies  were  moved, 
his  spirit  of  chivalry  was  touched,  and  he  would  give 
himself  and  his  best  hours  to  the  eradication  of  the  evil. 
And  the  very  fact  that  he  was  a  man  of  such  large  inter- 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  215 

ests  and  great  responsibilities  gave  to  every  smallest 
word  and  deed  added  weight. 

"What  was  true  of  his  public  interests  was,  I  am  sure, 
true  of  his  private  charities.  And  the  tenderness,  grace, 
and  delicacy  with  which  he  helped  one  woman  or  child 
revealed  the  character  of  the  man  who  made  great  gifts 
for  the  education  of  the  young. 

"Another  feature  which  touched  me  was  his  friend- 
liness. Our  meetings  were  usually  months  apart.  I  al- 
ways looked  forward  to  them;  and  he  gave  me  such  a 
greeting  as  led  to  the  impression  that  he  had  also  looked 
forward  to  the  meeting.  He  was  hospitable,  of  course, 
a  well-known  host.  There  was,  however,  a  considerate- 
ness  and  a  grace  to  his  hospitality  which  gave  charm  to 
every  hour  in  his  home." 

Even  more  intimate  is  the  picture  given  by  Bishop 
Doane. 

My  relations  with  Mr.  Jesup  began  when  he  and  I  were 
both  well  on  in  life,  and  I  am  thankful  to  feel  that  they 
increased  in  intimacy  and  affection  from  year  to  year. 
It  is  difficult  to  say  which  one  of  his  many  magnetic  at- 
tractions drew  me  and  held  me  to  him,  because  what  I 
loved  in  him  was  simply  his  personality — ^just  his  self. 
One  always  felt  in  him  the  presence  and  the  power  of  a 
deep  and  devout  religiousness,  the  consecration  of  thought 
and  aim  and  love  to  his  Master.  I  can  see  now  the  kin- 
dling of  his  face,  and  hear  the  deep  tenderness  of  his  voice, 
as  we  were  going  from  one  room  into  another  in  his  house, 
at  the  most  beautiful  and  touching  gathering  of  friends  to 
rejoice  with  him  on  his  golden  wedding  day.  Just  as  we 
passed  under  the  arch  between  the  two  rooms,  he  stopped 
and  asked  me  to  give  them,  as  they  stood  there  together. 


2i6  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

the  benediction  from  our  marriage  service.  It  was  an  in- 
stinct, an  impulse  that  came  out  of  the  deep  devoutness  of 
his  religious  nature,  always  stored  in  his  soul,  and  quick 
to  be  stirred  to  the  utterance  of  prayer  and  thanks- 
giving. 

We  had  many  hours  and  days  of  pleasant  and  earnest 
talk  in  his  little  office  in  the  Madison  Avenue  house,  in 
his  beautiful  Lenox  home,  and  still  more  in  the  Bar 
Harbor  summer  days,  at  his  own  house  or  in  the  launch 
cruising  about  the  bay  and  along  the  shores  of  Mount 
Desert  Island,  and,  as  his  guest  more  than  once  at  Jekyl 
Island.  In  his  public  and  official  relations  I  was  proud 
and  thankful  to  be  now  and  then  associated  with  him, 
and  to  recognize  the  weight  and  value,  the  ability  and 
cleverness  of  his  character:  at  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
dinner  at  which  he  had  asked  me  to  speak;  and  again 
when  he  brought  Prince  Henry  to  the  breakfast  and 
reception  given  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  his 
honor;  and  once  again  when  he  was  the  chief  guest  and 
speaker  at  a  dinner  given  by  Mr.  Whitney  to  the  Trustees 
of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History.  And  as  I  recall  him 
on  each  one  of  these  public  occasions  I  feel  anew  the 
quiet  dignity  and  simplicity  of  the  man  who,  by  no  one 
great  achievement  and  no  one  great  dominant  character- 
istic, had  won  the  very  highest  honor  that  could  come 
to  a  private  citizen,  just  because  of  his  splendid  citizenship. 
Living  in  a  city,  and  in  a  century  marked  by  the  presence 
of  so  many  men  prominent  in  affairs,  munificent  as  giv- 
ers, successful  in  public  and  private  administration,  he  cer- 
tainly stands  conspicuous  among  them  all,  in  honor  and 
affection  and  esteem.  Freed  from  any  burden  about  his 
own  business  affairs — except  the  oversight  of  their  ad- 
ministration and  their  use — since  ever  I  knew  him,  he 
took  upon  his  shoulders  burdens  of  service  and  responsi- 
bility in  various  directions  until  he  was  an  overworked, 
incessantly  occupied  man.  He  never  laid  down  one  load 
when  he  took  up  another:   the  Five  Points  House  of  In- 


IN  THE  HOME  CIRCLE  217 

dustry,  the  College  in  Beirut,  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  all  these  he  carried  in  his  heart  and  upheld 
with  his  time  and  his  gifts;  besides  his  careful  attention 
to  the  duties  of  the  presidency  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History;  and 
among  all  these,  he  had  the  time  and  the  will  to  organize 
the  two  expeditions,  one  to  solve  the  question  of  Siberian 
migration,  and  the  other  to  find  the  North  Pole.  And 
with  all  this  preoccupation  he  found,  or  made,  leisure 
to  enjoy  his  friends,  to  appreciate  everything  beautiful 
in  nature  and  in  art,  to  delight  in  the  quiet  repose  of  his 
ideal  home  life,  and  to  be  given  to  most  gracious  and 
beautiful  hospitality.  His  virtual  creation  of  the  Museum 
of  Natural  History  was  the  outcome  and  expression  of 
one  of  the  chief  loves  of  his  life.  His  pride  in  the  superb 
collection  of  woods  gathered  in  it  was  only  a  phase  of  his 
intense  feeling  about,  and  his  thorough  knowledge  of,  the 
trees  which  glorify  his  Lenox  estate  and  his  separate  and 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  live  oaks,  clothed  in  their 
great  wreaths  of  moss,  at  Jekyl  Island.  I  think  it  was  the 
broadening  of  his  whole  nature,  as  it  matured  and  ripened 
year  by  year,  which  broadened  his  back  to  bear  the  added 
duties  and  interests  that  multiplied  so  largely  in  his  later 
life.  It  is  impossible  to  associate  any  narrowness  of 
thought  or  feeling  with  his  wide-open  mind  and  his  large 
heart.  And  all  his  nature  was  fitly  set  and  fully  shown  in 
his  outward  semblance,  which  combined,  in  face  and 
figure,  courage  and  courtesy,  tenderness  and  decision, 
strength  and  sweetness,  to  an  unusual  degree.  I  wonder 
sometimes,  as  I  recall  our  friendship,  just  how  and  why  he 
let  me  come  into  such  close  relations,  because  his  career 
in  life  and  mine,  in  all  their  details,  lay  along  different 
paths;  and  it  is  no  little  comfort  to  me  to  feel  that  he 
found  in  me  what  I  felt  in  him — the  recognition  of  the 
real  and  radical  unity  between  men  who,  differing  in  their 
ecclesiastical  associations,  pursuing  each  his  own  ends 
and  aims  in  life,  and  separated  from  each  other  in  their 


2i8  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

place  of  residence,  have  the  common  bond  of  service  to 
the  one  Master,  agreement  in  the  fundamental  truths  of 
the  Christian  faith,  and  are  at  one,  therefore,  in  the 
higher  and  deeper  parts  of  their  nature,  and  in  the  most 
profound  interests  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  LAST  DAYS 

/^N  May  2,  1907,  Mr.  Jesup  retired  from  the  presidency 
^^  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which  he  had  held 
for  eight  years.  Two  years  before,  he  had  desired  to  take 
this  step,  but  had  altered  his  purpose  in  deference  to  the 
wishes  of  his  friends  and  associates  in  the  Chamber/ 

1  New  York,  March  2^h,  1905. 

Morris  K.  Jesup,  Esq., 

197  Madison  Avenue,  New  York. 
Dear  Sir: 

We  have  heard  with  deep  regret  that  you  had  decided  to  retire  from  the 
presidency  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  on  the  expiration  of  your 
present  term  of  ofl&ce,  and  not  allow  your  name  to  be  again  placed  in  nomina- 
tion for  another  term. 

We  feel  that  the  eminent  services  you  have  rendered  during  the  six  years 
you  have  filled  the  distinguished  position  of  President  with  so  much  credit  to 
yourself,  and  such  manifest  advantage  to  the  Chamber,  entitle  you  to  be  honored 
by  the  tender  of  the  office  for  another  term,  and  from  intimations  we  have  had 
in  many  quarters,  we  have  every  assurance  that  your  services  are  most  highly 
appreciated,  and  that  the  members,  as  a  whole,  anxiously  desire  to  mark  that 
appreciation  by  re-electing  you  to  the  Presidential  Chair  for  at  least  another 
term.  Were  it  known  that  you  would  consent  once  more  to  accept  the  honor, 
we  feel  assured  you  will  be  elected  by  acclamation. 

Begging  you  to  reconsider  your  decision  to  retire,  and  that  you  will  permit 
us  to  present  your  name  to  the  Nominating  Committee  of  the  Chamber  when 
appointed,  we  remain,  with  much  respect  and  esteem. 

Yours  very  truly, 
(Signed.) 
J.  Edward  Simmons,   A.  A.  Raven,  A.  B.  Hepburn, 

Cornelius  N.  Bliss,    Cyrus  J.  Lawrence,  Jacob  H.  Scheff, 
John  A.  Stewart,       Lyman  J.  Gage,  Jas.  Stillman, 

W.  Bayard  Cutting,  Henry  Hentz,  Geo.  F.  Seward, 

Geo.  F.  Baker,  A.  E.  Orr,  Isaac  N.  Seligman, 

August  Belmont,         John  S.  Kennedy,       W,  Butler  Duncan, 
Jas.  T.  Woodward,     Geo.  Fred.  Vietor,     James  G.  Cannon, 
Seth  Low,  Andrew  Carnegie,      John  L.  Riker, 

Jno.  T.  Terry. 
219 


220  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

But  the  time  had  now  come  when  the  advice  of  his  physi- 
cian and  of  his  friends  warned  him  that  the  step  could 
no  longer  be  postponed.  Before  the  ballot  was  taken  which 
resulted  in  the  election  of  the  new  president,  Mr.  Jesup 
addressed  the  Chamber  as  follows: 


Gentlemen:  Before  a  ballot  is  taken  on  nominations, 
I  think  that  it  is  right,  and  that  you  may  expect,  that  I 
should  say  a  few  words. 

This  is  our  annual  meeting.  The  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce is  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  years  old  to-day. 
You  know  what  its  history  has  been;  and  we  hope  that 
in  the  years  to  come  the  history  of  this  Chamber  will  be 
as  illustrious  as  it  has  been  in  the  years  that  have  gone. 

I  have  served  you  as  President  for  eight  years.  It 
has  been  a  pleasure  to  me,  and  I  have  tried  to  do  the  best 
I  could,  although  I  have  made,  perhaps,  some  mistakes. 
What  I  value  more  than  anything  else  on  retiring  from 
this  responsible  and  honorable  position  is  your  friendship. 
I  am  not  aware  that  in  the  eight  years  that  I  have  served 
this  Chamber  there  has  been  one  unkind  word  said  by 
any  member  to  me,  and  I  have  not  heard  of  any  criticism 
made  to  others.  This  is  a  great  blessing  to  me,  and  will 
always  be  remembered  during  the  remainder  of  my  life 
with  intense  pleasure.  I  do  not  retire  with  the  feeling 
that  there  is  any  credit  due  to  me  especially  for  anything 
that  has  been  done  during  the  few  years  past,  and  while 
I  am  still  your  President  I  want  to  say  a  word  with  ref- 
erence to  him  who  is  sitting  before  me,  and  who  has 
served  this  Chamber  for  forty-nine  years — a  very  long 
period — to  whose  faithful  service,  constant  attendance, 
and  self-consecration  to  the  interests  of  this  great  institu- 
tion you  are  indebted,  I  believe,  more  than  to  any  other 
source  for  the  present  state  of  prosperity  and  standing  of 
this  Chamber,  and  before  I  retire  from  this  position  I 
want  to  have  the  pleasure  of  putting  to  this  Chamber  a 


THE  LAST  DAYS  221 

resolution,  a  vote  of  confidence,  a  vote  of  affection  on 
the  part  of  these  members  to  our  charming  Secretary 
Mr.  George  Wilson.  Is  it  your  pleasure  that  that  resolu- 
tion be  carried  and  placed  upon  our  minutes  ?  Those 
who  are  in  favor  will  say  aye:  contrary,  no.  It  is  unani- 
mously carried. 

And  now,  gentlemen,  there  is  another  resolution  that 
I,  as  your  President,  want  to  have  the  pleasure  of  offering, 
if  you  would  like  me  to  do  so.  We  miss  here  to-day  the 
presence  of  our  valued  friend,  Mr.  Alexander  E.  Orr. 
He  it  was  that  eight  years  ago  gave  me  his  hand  as  he 
retired  and  I  assumed  the  Presidency  of  this  Chamber.  I 
received  from  him  a  benediction.  He  is  a  man  that  I 
love  and  that  we  all  love  and  respect,  and  if  you  will 
permit  me  I  want  to  offer  this  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  members  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  extend  our  sympathy  to  Mr.  Alexander  E. 
Orr,  in  his  long-continued  illness,  and  express  the  hope 
that  he  will  speedily  recover  his  health  and  strength.  We 
remember  with  pleasure  the  long  and  faithful  services  given 
by  Mr.  Orr  to  the  interests  of  this  Chamber  as  our  Presi- 
dent for  five  years,  and  his  long  services  as  a  member. 

Now,  gentlemen,  as  your  President,  I  wish  you  all  great 
happiness  and  success  in  your  various  undertakings. 
My  retiring  from  the  Presidency  of  this  Chamber  does  not 
take  away  one  iota  of  the  interest  that  I  feel  in  its  success, 
and  to  Mr.  Simmons  I  shall  give  all  the  aid  I  can  to  make 
his  administration  successful. 

Referring  to  this  address  a  few  months  later,  the  Hon- 
orable George  F.  Seward  thus  described  the  impression 
which  it  produced  upon  those  who  heard  it:  "It  is  only 
a  few  months  since  Mr.  Jesup  laid  aside  his  work  here. 
We  of  the  Chamber  knew  then  that  the  life  that  had 
lasted  so  long  was  nearing  its  end.  We  knew,  as  he 
spoke,  that  he  was  conscious  that  in  so  much  of  life  as 


222  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

might  be  left  for  him,  he  could  never  hope  to  mingle 
again  with  the  men  whom  he  loved  and  who  loved  him. 
There  were  eyes  that  day  that  were  dim  with  moist- 
ure, there  are  eyes  to-day  that  are  dim  with  moisture, 
for  there  is  such  a  thing  among  men  as  affection,  and 
Mr.  Jesup  gave  and  received  affection  in  large  measure." 

It  was  indeed  high  time  that  Mr.  Jesup  should  free 
himself  from  the  responsibilities  which  he  had  so  long 
carried.  For  more  than  a  year  he  had  been  a  sick 
man,  yet,  in  spite  of  the  protest  of  his  friends,  he  had 
refused  to  lay  down  the  burdens  which  he  was  carrying. 
It  was  not  easy  for  him  to  face  the  thought  of  idleness, 
even  when  the  call  was  the  imperative  call  of  sick- 
ness. His  heart  was  in  the  things  that  he  had  been  do- 
ing, and  in  the  men  and  women  for  whom  he  had  been 
doing  them.  Harder  for  him  than  for  most  men  it  was 
to  learn  the  lesson  that  "they  also  serve  who  only  stand 
and  wait." 

The  first  sign  of  Mr.  Jesup's  serious  ill  health  came 
in  the  autumn  of  1906,  when  the  frequent  trips  to  New 
York,  necessitated  by  the  final  work  in  connection  with 
the  San  Francisco  Relief  Fund  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, seemed  to  cause  him  more  than  usual  fatigue.  He 
was  troubled  by  dizziness  and  looked  pale  and  worn  at 
times.  It  was  then  discovered  that  he  was  suffering  from 
a  valvular  affection  of  the  heart.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  in  May,  when  he  resigned  the 
presidency,  he  was  suffering  greatly,  and  those  who  knew 
of  his  condition  were  in  doubt  whether  he  would  be  able 
to  complete  the  task  which  he  had  set  for  himself.  For 
some  time  after  this  he  was  again  very  ill,  but  rallied 
once  more  and,  though  a  semi-invalid,  was  able  to  enjoy 


THE  LAST  DAYS  223 

the  beauties  of  the  spring  at  Lenox  and  the  summer  at 
Bar  Harbor. 

In  the  autumn,  however,  the  distressing  symptoms  of 
his  illness  became  more  persistent  and  the  air  of  his 
beloved  Berkshire  Hills  being  thought  too  strong  for 
him,  he  returned  to  his  New  York  home.  Here  he  still 
was  able  to  direct  the  affairs  of  the  interests  with  which 
he  was  connected  and  to  attend  the  meetings  at  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  He  was  present  at  the 
November  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary.  His  mind,  through  all  the  suffer- 
ing and  distress  of  his  illness,  remained  wonderfully  clear 
and  his  judgment  unimpaired.  On  Christmas  Eve  of 
1907,  however,  the  illness  again  became  acute  and  from 
that  time  until  his  death,  it  was  seen  by  the  loving  watch- 
ers at  his  bedside  that  there  could  be  no  hope  of  his 
recovery. 

He  died  in  the  early  morning  hours  of  January  22,  1908. 
Though  acutely  sensitive  to  physical  suffering,  the 
patience  and  fortitude  he  displayed  all  through  his  ill- 
ness was  a  benediction  and  a  lesson  to  those  about  him. 
His  mind  turned  more  and  more  to  spiritual  things  as 
his  illness  increased,  and  his  main  comfort  and  support 
was  in  his  religion.  The  frequent  little  services  of  prayer 
seemed  wonderfully  helpful  to  him,  and  through  one 
long  day  of  particular  distress  he  repeated  for  hours  the 
hymns  which  were  dearest  to  him  and  which  seemed  to 
bring  him  peace  and  rest. 

The  funeral  service  was  held  at  10  A.  M.,  January 
25,  1908,  at  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  large  gathering  of  friends  and  representatives  of 
the  various  interests  with  which  Mr.  Jesup  was  connected. 


224  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

The  service,  which  was  simple  and  marked  by  the 
absence  of  all  eulogy,  was  read  by  the  Reverend  William 
R.  Richards,  D.D.,  Pastor  of  the  church;  the  Reverend 
Henry  van  Dyke,  D.D.,  of  Princeton,  a  former  pastor, 
made  the  prayer,  and  the  scripture  reading  was  by  the 
Reverend  Hugh  Black,  the  incumbent  of  the  Graduate 
Chair  of  Preaching  at  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
which  Mr.  Jesup  had  endowed  two  years  before.  The 
honorary  pallbearers  were  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  John  E. 
Parsons,  Joseph  H.  Choate,  Cornelius  N.  Bliss,  Professor 
Henry  Fairfield  Osborn,  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  General 
Horace  Porter,  John  T.  Terry,  Charles  Lanier,  and 
Thatcher  M.  Adams. 

From  the  many  testimonials  which  witness  to  the  deep 
sense  of  loss  with  which  Mr.  Jesup's  death  was  regarded 
by  the  community  in  which  he  had  lived  so  long,  and  for 
which  he  had  done  so  much,  we  may  select  two  which, 
because  of  their  intimate  character,  are  worthy  a  place 
in  this  record.  The  first  is  the  tribute  paid  to  Mr. 
Jesup's  memory  by  his  old  friend.  General  Horace  Porter, 
at  a  memorial  meeting  held  at  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce on  January  23,  1908;  the  other  the  sketch  read 
by  Professor  William  M.  Sloane  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Century  Association  on  January  9,  1909. 

The  meeting  of  the  Chamber  was  called  to  ordbr  by 
President  Simmons  and,  after  resolutions  had  been  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Seward,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  Choate, 
General  Porter  spoke  as  follows: 

Mr.  President:  In  rising  to  second  these  very  appro- 
priately expressed  resolutions,  I  can  safely  say  that  this 
is  the  saddest  occasion  on  which  I  was  ever  called  upon 


THE  LAST  DAYS  225 

to  meet  my  fellow-members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
It  is  a  moment  when  it  would  seem  that  the  lips  should 
be  silent  and  the  heart  alone  should  speak.  Morris  K. 
Jesup  is  no  more.  The  sad  news  filled  each  heart  here 
with  a  sense  of  grief  akin  to  the  sorrow  of  a  personal  be- 
reavement. The  familiar,  genial  face  that  we  were  always 
so  glad  to  look  upon  in  social  life,  in  business  affairs,  in 
public  matters,  we  shall  see  no  more  forever.  He  has  been 
called  from  the  living  here  to  join  those  other  living,  com- 
monly called,  the  dead.  But  yesterday  the  silver  cord  was 
loosed,  the  golden  bowl  was  broken,  and  one  of  the  noblest 
spirits  that  ever  wore  the  mantle  of  mortality  has  winged 
its  flight  back  to  the  God  who  gave  it.  One  of  the  most 
precious  memories  of  my  entire  life  will  always  be  the  fact 
that  it  was  my  privilege  to  know  Morris  Jesup  closely, 
intimately  for  a  period  of  over  forty  years.  He  came 
here  from  a  neighboring  State  to  enter  the  lists  of  compe- 
tition with  other  young  men  who  had  determined  to  win 
their  fortunes  and  their  fame  in  the  great  metropolis. 
I  can  almost  see  him  now  as  he  appeared  then  in  the  full 
vigor  of  young  manhood;  his  deep,  piercing  eyes,  his 
jet-black  hair  and  beard,  his  brisk  step,  his  cordial  manner. 
There  was  something  in  the  manliness  and  frankness  of 
his  look  that  inspired  confidence  in  all  who  came  into 
relation  with  him. 

Morris  Jesup,  it  seems  to  me,  was  unique  in  one  partic- 
ular. He  was  a  man  who  steadily,  gradually,  and  surely 
advanced.  There  are  many  men  in  life  who  make  a  spurt 
and  then  stop.  Many  go  no  further;  some  even  retrograde. 
Morris  Jesup  was  continually  advancing  in  his  career.  I 
do  not  think  there  was  a  single  year  in  which  he  had  not 
reached  a  point  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  point  that 
he  occupied  the  year  before.  He  was  constantly  learning 
something.  It  used  to  astonish  us  all  to  see  the  progress 
he  made  in  so  many  different  and  useful  directions.  I  will 
not  pause  to  recount  the  many  monuments  he  builded, 
they  have  been  described  to  you  just  now  so  fully  and  so 


226  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

eloquently  by  my  predecessors.  I  can  say  from  personal 
knowledge,  however,  having  visited  all  similar  institutions 
of  note,  that  he  lived  to  see  in  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History  a  creation  which  far  surpasses  any  institution  of 
its  kind  in  the  world  to-day.  He  began  late  in  life  to 
study  art  and  science,  when  he  became  a  patron  of  those 
branches.  In  connection  with  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History  and  other  institutions  he  studied  science,  not  in 
a  technical  way,  but  with  that  broad  view  which  was 
easy  to  grasp,  with  his  quick  perceptions.  Then  he 
studied  the  world's  geography  when  he  was  contemplat- 
ing how  to  assist  a  great  explorer  in  reaching  the  coveted 
possession  of  the  Pole;  and  as  has  been  said,  he  lived  to 
see  his  name  attached  to  a  point  of  land  nearest  to  that 
much-sought  object. 

We  know  within  the  walls  of  this  building  more  about 
his  charity  and  his  benevolence  than  is  known  elsewhere, 
for  no  man  was  more  modest  in  that  respect,  no  one  took 
greater  pains  to  disguise  the  amount  of  his  charities,  dis- 
pensed with  his  spirit  of  broad  philanthropy.  We  all 
know  that  wherever  a  calamity  was  heard  of,  in  this 
country  or  any  other  country,  whether  it  arose  from  fire, 
or  flood  or  famine,  or  earthquake,  with  his  great  powers 
of  administration  and  his  sympathetic  heart,  he  was  first 
in  the  field  with  ready,  prompt,  and  practical  means  of 
relief.  As  a  banker  he  was  well  known  to  this  City. 
Through  his  connection  with  powerful  organizations  and 
corporations  he  was  well  known  throughout  the  country. 
His  practical  philanthropy,  far-reaching  views,  corre- 
spondence and  dealings  made  him  known  to  all  countries. 
Foreign  nations  decorated  him,  and  the  Sovereign  of  a 
distant  power  knighted  him.  But  what  he  loved  and  ap- 
preciated much  more  than  all  such  honors  was  the  posses- 
sion of  the  profound  respect  and  absolute  affection  of 
his  fellow-citizens.  He  reached  a  ripe  age.  He  died 
with  his  harness  on.  He  had  completed  all  his  life's  work. 
He  died  at  peace  with  his  fellowmen  and  at  peace  with 


THE  LAST  DAYS  227 

his  God.  He  passed  away  surrounded  by  his  affectionate 
and  devoted  wife,  who  had  been  his  true  partner  in  all 
his  labors,  his  triumphs  and  his  joys,  and  by  other  rela- 
tions whom  he  loved.  It  will  not  be  our  duty  to  lay  him 
in  the  tomb,  shut  out  from  the  light  of  summer  suns, 
there  to  await  the  requiem  of  winter's  storms,  but  his 
true  sepulchre  will  be  the  hearts  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  was  a  lesson  to  his  contemporaries;  he  will  be  an  in- 
spiration to  his  successors.  He  gained  title  deeds  to 
honors  of  which  he  can  never  be  dispossessed.  He  made 
his  name  honorable  in  this  age  and  venerable  to  poster- 
ity. The  many  monuments  he  created  will  always  speak 
in  their  mute  eloquence  of  his  worth.  We  can  now 
only  gather  together  and  recount  his  virtues,  commend 
his  example  to  others,  breathe  a  peace  to  his  ashes,  and 
say  with  Shakespeare's  character:  "Good-night,  sweet 
Prince." 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  members  of  the  Century  Asso- 
ciation, at  their  annual  meeting  in  January,  to  hear  a 
brief  record  of  the  lives  of  those  of  their  friends  and  asso- 
ciates who  have  passed  away  during  the  year.  The 
company  which  gathers  on  such  an  occasion  represents 
in  singular  degree  all  the  interests,  commercial,  educa- 
tional, scientific,  artistic,  and  religious,  to  which  Mr. 
Jesup  had  devoted  his  life.  Before  this  company  of  kin- 
dred spirits,  lovers  of  the  ideal,  and  comrades  in  the  effort 
to  make  this  world  a  home  of  beauty,  of  friendship,  and 
of  truth,  Professor  Sloane  paid  this  just  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  a  fellow  member  who  had  gone  before : 

Morris  Ketchum  Jesup  was  born  to  the  affluence  of 
noble  aspirations,  but  orphaned  at  twelve,  he  inherited 
little  else.  With  a  sound  school  training  and  scarcely 
more  than  an  introduction  to  college,  he  entered  the  stern 


228  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

conflict  of  business  life  when  a  mere  boy.  Such  was  the 
sterling  metal  of  his  character  that  at  twenty-four  he  es- 
tablished an  independent  firm  in  New  York.  His  inborn 
sympathy  for  spiritual  pursuits  and  his  rich  endowment 
of  companionable  qualities,  made  him  a  member  of  the 
Century  at  twenty-seven.  For  fifty-one  years  he  was 
part  of  the  living  organism  which  keeps  us  ever  young, 
ever  creative,  ever  sensitive  to  our  responsibilities.  In 
the  end,  his  education  was  thorough,  comprehensive, 
vitalizing;  and,  as  he  was  prospered  beyond  his  visions, 
he  showered  on  the  community,  with  bewildering  gener- 
osity, the  benefits  he  had  received,  giving  himself,  with  his 
wealth,  to  enterprises  which  have  gone  far  to  regenerate 
the  life  of  New  York,  to  place  science  on  a  new  founda- 
tion, and  to  spread  in  all  lands  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
whose  humble  servant  he  considered  himself  in  every 
activity  of  his  life. 

He  was  a  banker,  a  director  of  enormous  corporations 
in  the  Interests  of  their  stockholders,  prominent  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  Its  President  for  many 
years.  The  business  honor  of  his  adopted  city  was  closer 
to  his  heart  than  any  other  secular  interest:  under  all 
circumstances  he  pleaded  for  It,  safeguarded  It,  and  was 
continually  selected  to  represent  It.  Though  he  retired 
from  active  business  at  fifty-four  and  thereafter  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  devoted  his  splendid  powers  chiefly 
to  other  service,  yet  he  maintained  a  commanding  posi- 
tion in  the  industrial  and  commercial  world  to  the  very 
end. 

Mr.  Jesup  was  a  devoted  churchman  In  the  denomina- 
tion to  which  he  belonged,  being  firmly  convinced  that 
philanthropy  without  faith  was  like  a  tree  with  no  tap- 
root. He  was  a  church  member  who  found  his  highest 
duty  in  the  most  generous  support  of  church  enterprises 
for  the  spread  of  its  domestic  and  foreign  Influence,  and 
In  close  connection  with  the  organic  life  of  the  congregation 
with  which  he  worshipped.     But  these  intimate  relations 


THE  LAST  DAYS  229 

were  only  a  starting-point  and  a  foundation  for  his  wider 
activities.  He  was  a  founder  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  he  gave  to  the  Children's  Aid  Society  an 
important  building,  was  President  of  the  Five  Points  House 
of  Industry,  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  of  the 
New  York  City  Mission  and  Tract  Society,  an  officer  of 
the  United  States  Christian  Association  during  the  Civil 
War,  of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  of  the  Syr- 
ian Protestant  College  at  Beirut — that  wonderful  English- 
speaking  University  which,  with  Robert  College,  has 
contributed  so  mightily  to  the  regeneration  of  the  hither 
East.  He  was  a  princely  benefactor  of  all  these;  to  them, 
singly  and  collectively,  he  gave  unceasing,  loving  care, 
more  energy  and  thought  probably  than  to  his  business 
enterprises. 

As  in  the  Christian,  so  in  the  secular  world,  education 
was  his  chiefest  care.  He  gave  liberally  to  Williams,  to 
Yale,  and  to  Princeton.  He  exerted  himself  powerfully 
in  the  cause  of  Forest  Preservation  and  in  the  husbanding 
of  all  our  national  resources;  expeditions  which  were 
supported  by  him  carried  his  name  to  both  ends  of  this  con- 
tinent, almost  from  pole  to  pole,  and  in  Geology,  Paleon- 
tology, Biology,  and  Ethnology,  enriched  our  scientific 
apparatus  to  the  admiration  and  envy  of  distant  and  older 
lands.  The  Czar  of  Russia  made  him  a  companion  of  the 
highest  Russian  order  for  scientific  service  to  that  country, 
King  Edward  received  him  with  respect  as  head  of  a 
commission  laboring  in  the  interests  of  humanity  and 
peace.  He  was  a  discriminating  collector  of  books  and 
pictures,  a  member  of  our  three  most  important  art 
societies. 

But,  while  toiling  ceaselessly  in  all  these  interests,  he 
knew  how  to  concentrate  his  highest  powers  in  one.  For 
his  work,  first  as  an  organizer  of  the  Natural  History  Mu- 
seum, and  later  as  its  President,  four  universities  gave 
him  academic  recognition,  one  of  them  its  highest  hono- 
rary degree.     To  this  great  educational  enterprise  in  the 


230  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

City  of  New  York  no  other  is  second,  for  it  stands  in  the 
front  rank:  first  for  popular  education,  second  for  its 
scientific  collections,  and  thirdly  as  a  hearthstone  of  origi- 
nal research.  The  spacious  buildings  erected  by  the 
community  are  filled  to  overflowing  with  collections  of 
prime  importance,  its  staflF  of  workers  are  men  of  the  high- 
est standing  in  the  scientific  world,  and  its  publications  are 
standard  authorities.  Others  have  contributed  lavishly 
to  this  triumph  of  private  enterprise,  but  no  one  to  the 
same  degree  as  Mr.  Jesup.  His  benefactions  have  been 
far  the  largest,  his  energies  have  been  the  most  devoted, 
his  organizing  powers  have  been,  with  no  detraction  from 
the  merits  of  others,  the  most  efl&cient,  and  his  bequests 
have  enabled  it  to  take  another  great  step  forward.  With 
its  grandeur  his  name  is  inseparably  Hnked. 

Not  one  of  us  has  forgotten  the  presence  of  the  man: 
his  fine  form,  his  stately  bearing,  his  serene  and  earnest 
countenance.  He  was  often  with  us,  and  his  discourse 
was  generally  of  high  things,  though  he  could  at  times 
unbend  and  lend  himself  to  mirthful  talk.  Yet,  in  the 
main,  there  was  in  him  a  sense  of  high  calling.  He  was 
a  convinced  and  tenacious  optimist,  sure  that  the  Kingdom 
was  coming,  even  on  earth :  and  that  it  was  a  man's  work 
to  help  it  forward.  He  lived  long  and  noted  the  steady 
uplift  of  New  York  life.  He  was  never  confused  by  the 
lapses,  which  so  engage  the  attention  of  less  constructive 
minds.  I  have  heard  thoughtless  and  contemptuous 
abuse  of  this  city  met  with  scathing  rebuke  at  his  hands. 
Expansion  was  the  experience  of  his  personal  life,  it  was 
his  creed  for  religion  and  education  and  patriotism.  Of 
a  stock  that  had  been  American  for  the  greater  part  of  three 
centuries,  he  saw  the  perspective  of  centuries  yet  to  come 
in  the  light  of  hope  and  faith. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   INNER   LIFE 

TT /"E  have  reached  the  end  of  our  journey.  But  before 
^  ^  we  close  the  page  we  may  turn  back  for  a  moment  in 
order  to  gather  into  a  single  picture  the  different  glimpses 
which  have  come  to  us  as  we  have  looked  at  Mr.  Jesup's  life 
from  its  different  angles,  and  learned  the  impression  which 
he  made  upon  those  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact. 
A  man's  true  nature  is  revealed  not  only  by  the  thing 
that  he  does,  but  in  his  manner  of  doing  it.  Through  a 
chance  word,  a  grasp  of  the  hand,  or  it  may  be  simply  an 
expression  of  the  eye,  we  often  gain  an  insight  impossible 
of  attainment  in  any  other  way. 

It  was  so  with  Mr.  Jesup.  His  personality  gave  a 
certain  distinctive  quality  and  coloring  to  his  work.  No 
one  could  live  with  him  long  without  discovering  what 
manner  of  man  he  was.  His  character  was  transparent, 
and  his  acts,  to  a  far  greater  degree  than  is  the  case  with 
most  men,  self-revelations.  He  was  impulsive  and,  like 
all  impulsive  men,  was  sometimes  led  into  apparent  in- 
consistencies, but  the  inconsistency  was  only  on  the 
surface,  and,  as  one  came  to  know  him  better,  one  dis- 
covered the  fact.  All  that  he  did  was  of  a  piece.  The 
different  strands  in  his  character  wove  themselves  into  a 
consistent  whole,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  unravel  them. 

231 


232  MORRIS   KETCHUM  JESUP 

First  of  all,  one  is  impressed  by  his  conscientiousness. 
The  words  which  he  wrote  many  years  ago  are  literally 
true:  ** I  work  all  the  time  trying  to  do  my  duty.*'  When 
once  he  had  set  his  hand  to  any  task  he  carried  it  through 
to  its  conclusion,  no  matter  what  the  cost,  and  this  was 
the  standard  by  which  he  judged  all  life,  both  in  himself 
and  in  others.  "Gentlemen,"  he  once  said  when  introduc- 
ing Dr.  Alderman  at  one  of  the  dinners  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  "there  is  something  in  these  days  worth 
knowing  besides  the  every-day  work  in  our  offices  and 
places  of  business;  there  is  deep  down  in  our  hearts  a 
desire  to  know  what  best  to  do  with  our  lives  and  how  to 
make  them  of  use  and  value  to  our  fellowmen  and  our 
country.  We  can  only  do  this  by  steadily  acquainting  our- 
selves with  the  needs  and  wants  of  others  and  stimulating 
the  minds  of  our  companions  to  think  on  those  things  which 
are  just,  honest,  and  of  good  report."  It  surprised  him 
that  he  found  so  few  people  who  shared  his  own  high 
standard.  "I  sometimes  think,"  he  writes  to  Mr.  Bar- 
nard, "that  we  expect  too  much.  The  longer  we  live, 
the  more  we  must  learn  to  take  the  world  as  we  find  it. 
I  wish  there  were  more  who  were  conscientious  and  self- 
sacrificing  and  who  were  willing  to  consecrate  themselves 
to  the  work  of  helping  others.  These  characters  have 
always  been  rare  and  I  fear,  until  the  spirit  of  Christ 
comes  more  and  more  to  become  our  life,  this  conse- 
cration will  not  increase." 

This  conscientiousness  showed  itself,  for  one  thing,  in 
the  thoroughness  with  which  Mr.  Jesup  prepared  for  what- 
ever he  had  undertaken  to  do.  Whether  it  was  writing 
a  letter  or  planning  for  the  future  of  the  Museum,  he 
wished  to  be  master  of  the  facts  before  he  acted.    It  was 


THE  INNER  LIFE  233 

his  habit  to  let  a  night  pass  before  he  answered  an  im- 
portant letter.  How  much  care  he  gave  to  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  speeches  we  have  already  seen.  His  summers 
were  the  seed-time,  in  which  he  planned  the  winter's 
work.  Writing  to  a  friend  from  Bar  Harbor  he  says: 
"I  am  having  a  quiet,  restful,  thoughtful  time,"  with 
the  word  thoughtful  underlined.  And  again,  speaking 
of  his  plan  to  remain  in  Bar  Harbor  until  September, 
in  order  to  be  free  from  calls  and  cares  and  have  the  rest 
he  needs,  he  writes:  "I  have  some  hard  work  before  me 
in  New  York  in  October  and  November,  work  of  the 
head  and  brain,  in  preparation  for  important  events  that 
are  to  come  in  connection  with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History." 

Like  all  strong  characters,  Mr.  Jesup  was  a  man  of 
great  independence.  He  liked  to  do  things  in  his  own 
way,  and  he  was  so  conscious  of  the  excellence  of  that 
way  that  it  was  not  always  easy  for  him  to  recognize  that 
other  ways  might  be  as  good.  He  was  sometimes  restive 
in  double  harness.  To  one  of  his  younger  colleagues, 
who  had  remonstrated  with  him  upon  a  certain  policy, 
he  laid  his  hand  affectionately  upon  his  shoulder  and 
said:  "My  boy,  you  will  have  your  turn  bye  and  bye. 
This  is  my  turn,  and  you  must  have  patience  and  let 
me  do  things  my  own  way."  This  quality  sometimes 
brought  him  into  opposition  with  men  whom  he  respected, 
and  led  to  temporary  misunderstandings  which  it  took 
time  to  clear  up.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  the 
secret  of  Mr.  Jesup's  strength  and  the  explanation  of 
the  greatness  of  his  achievement.  He  was  not  afraid  to 
take  responsibility.  When  no  one  else  would  go  with 
him  he  was  willing  to  go  on  alone.   If  Mr.  Jesup  had  been 


234  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

a  different  man,  Commander  Peary,  with  all  his  resolu- 
tion, would  never  have  been  able  to  make  his  way  to 
the  Pole. 

This  independence  often  showed  itself  amusingly  in 
little  things.  I  found  among  Mr.  Jesup's  papers  a  letter 
of  Dr.  Morgan  Dix,  expressing  his  regret  at  his  inability 
to  accept  an  invitation  which  Mr.  Jesup  had  extended 
to  him  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  new  building 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  on  account  of  a  conflicting 
engagement.  The  letter  is  endorsed  in  Mr.  Jesup's 
own  hand  with  the  following  comment:  "I  have  written 
Dr.  Dix  that  a  representative  of  the  committee  will  call 
on  him  in  a  carriage  at  his  house  at  a  quarter  before 
eleven  o'clock  and  bring  him  to  the  new  building." 

Yet,  side  by  side  with  this  forcefulness  of  character 
there  was  in  Mr.  Jesup  an  open-mindedness  which  made 
him  willing  to  learn  from  those  with  whom  he  diflFered, 
and,  what  is  still  rarer  and  more  notable,  to  confess  him- 
self in  the  wrong  when  once  his  reason  had  been  convinced. 
One  of  his  friends  has  told  me  of  an  incident  which 
occurred  at  a  meeting  of  a  Board,  at  which  both  were 
present,  in  which  Mr.  Jesup  with  some  heat  had  opposed 
a  resolution  proposed  by  my  informant.  Somewhat  dis- 
appointed and  disheartened,  the  latter  had  returned  to 
his  office,  where,  a  few  moments  later,  he  was  surprised 
to  see  Mr.  Jesup  appear.  "I  have  been  walking  around 
the  block,"  said  the  latter,  "thinking  over  what  you  said, 
and  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  you  were  right  and 
I  was  wrong,  and  I  have  come  here  to  tell  you  so." 

We  have  spoken  more  than  once  of  the  artistic  element 
in  Mr.  Jesup's  nature.  This  was  the  explanation  of  cer- 
tain qualities  in  him  which  sometimes  puzzled  his  friends. 


THE   INNER  LIFE  235 

He  reached  his  conclusions  by  intuition  rather  than  by 
reason.  He  often  saw  the  end  more  quickly  than  the 
means  by  which  it  was  to  be  reached.  He  not  only  saw 
the  end,  he  felt  it,  and  this  feeling  lent  warmth  and  fire 
to  his  convictions.  The  conviction  once  gained,  he  was 
willing  to  take  infinite  pains  to  find  out  the  best  means 
of  reaching  the  goal,  but  the  fact  that  at  the  time  he  did 
not  see  how  the  end  was  to  be  gained  never  for  a  moment 
shook  his  faith  that  there  was  a  way  and  that  he  would 
find  it. 

His  love  for  beauty  colored  all  that  he  did.  We  have 
seen  how  it  expressed  itself  in  his  management  of  the 
Museum.  It  lent  individuality  and  distinctiveness  to  his 
charities.  He  was  continually  finding  graceful  and 
thoughtful  things  to  do,  things  of  which  no  one  else  had 
thought.  On  one  occasion,  after  a  visit  to  one  of  our  New 
England  colleges,  where  he  had  been  most  hospitably 
entertained,  he  discovered  through  a  casual  conversation 
that  no  provision  was  made  by  the  authorities  for  such 
hospitality,  but  that  whatever  was  done  must  be  provided 
for  within  the  narrow  limits  of  a  college  president's  sal- 
ary. Soon  after,  the  treasurer  of  the  college  received 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Jesup  asking  whether  the  institution 
would  be  willing  to  accept  the  gift  of  a  sum  of  money, 
the  income  of  which  should  be  put  at  the  disposal  of  the 
president  and  his  successors  for  the  purposes  of  enter- 
taining college  guests.  It  grieved  him  that  men  of  cult- 
ure and  refinement  should  not  be  able  to  gratify  the 
tastes  of  cultivated  people.  More  than  once  I  have  heard 
him  speak  with  indignation  of  the  low  salaries  and  of 
the  slight  honor,  according  to  this  world's  standards, 
accorded    to    our    ministers    and    professors.     "It   is    a 


236  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

shame,"  he  would  say,  "that  men  who  have  given  their 
lives  to  the  highest  cause  should  not  receive  from  us 
the  highest  honor." 

In  the  course  of  his  life  Mr.  Jesup  himself  received 
many  honors.  Four  of  our  leading  colleges  gave  him 
their  honorary  degrees.  The  Emperor  of  Japan  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  decoration  of  the  Second  Class 
of  the  distinguished  Order  of  Sacred  Treasure;  and  the 
Emperor  of  Russia  made  him  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Stanislaus  of  the  First  Class.  He  counted  among  his 
friends  men  of  prominence  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  Gaekwar  of  Baroda,  an  Indian  Prince  of  large  wealth, 
entrusted  to  him  the  management  of  his  fortune  and  con- 
sulted him  about  the  education  of  his  child.  These  things 
were,  of  course,  pleasing  to  Mr.  Jesup.  He  was  gratified, 
as  who  would  not  be,  with  the  recognition  that  came  to 
him  in  such  abundant  measure  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  life,  but  he  never  allowed  himself  to  appear  conscious 
of  it  outside  the  intimacy  of  his  own  home.  "He  fre- 
quently told  me,"  writes  one  of  his  friends,  "how  much 
afraid  he  was  of  wishing  to  have  his  name  associated  with 
his  own  gifts." 

To  this,  however,  there  was  one  exception.  "He 
said  to  me  on  one  occasion,"  writes  the  same  informant, 
"  *I  confess  that  once  I  did  wish  very  much  that  my 
name  might  be  on  the  bow  of  a  ship,  and  that  was  when 
Captain  Peary  started  for  the  Pole.  My  imagination 
pictured  to  me  with  the  keenest  delight  that  ship  going 
toward  the  arctic  regions  with  my  name  upon  it.  It 
would  have  made  me  feel  that  I  was  guiding  her  there 
myself.' "  The  temptation  was,  however,  resisted,  and 
the  ship  named  Roosevelt. 


THE   INNER  LIFE  237 

He  had  no  patience  with  aflPectation  in  any  form.  He 
loved  speech  that  was  simple,  direct,  and  sincere.  In  a 
letter  of  his,  returning  the  report  of  a  certain  society,  of 
which  he  was  president,  I  find  the  following  character- 
istic comment  apropos  of  a  reference  to  a  letter  of  his 
own:  **I  notice  that  you  use  the  word,  beautiful,  in  re- 
ferring to  my  letter.  Please  substitute  some  other  word, 
such  as  manly,  honest,  or  anything  else  you  think  fit." 

Mr.  Jesup  was  an  intense  lover.  Of  his  affection  for 
his  mother  we  have  more  than  once  spoken.  "My  love 
for  my  mother,"  he  once  wrote  in  a  place  designed  for 
no  eyes  but  his  own,  "is  a  spring  of  pure  water  in  my 
heart  all  the  time."  Incidental  references  in  his  letters 
show  how  deeply  he  was  stirred  by  the  loss  of  those 
friends,  like  Mr.  Dodge  and  Mr.  Brace,  with  whom  his 
work  had  brought  him  into  intimate  fellowship.  For  so 
forceful  a  character,  he  was  singularly  tender-hearted. 
His  sympathy  was  world-wide.  He  could  not  bear  the 
thought  of  needless  suffering.  "  I  am  obliged,"  he  writes 
to  one  of  his  friends  in  a  panic  year,  "for  your  kind 
letter  and  your  interest.  I  did  not  intend  to  convey  the 
idea  to  you  that  I  was  unwell.  I  only  intended  to  convey 
the  idea  that  I  could  not  be  happy  and  content  when  so 
much  trouble  and  suffering  was  taking  place  around  me. 
I  am  always  thinking  of  those  whose  lot  is  not  cast  in 
pleasant  places.  I  have  so  many  friends  in  trouble,  I  am 
sorry  for  you  in  the  hot  city  with  so  much  suffering  con- 
stantly before  you."  These  words  were  more  than  the 
expression  of  a  casual  mood.  They  reproduce  the  pre- 
vailing temper  of  Mr.  Jesup's  life.  Often,  his  family 
would  see  him  on  some  cold  winter  evening  standing 
silently  by  the  window  and  looking  out  earnestly  into  the 


238  MORRIS  KETCHUM  JESUP 

night,  and  when  they  asked  of  what  he  was  thinking,  the 
answer  would  come  back:  "I  am  thinking  of  the  poor 
people  who  are  out  in  the  cold  to-night  with  no  shelter." 
Said  one  to  me  who  had  had  occasion  to  know  by  ex- 
perience the  sterner  side  of  his  character,  "Mr.  Jesup  had 
a  great  heart." 

The  spring  of  all  lay  in  his  faith  in  God.  It  is  not  for 
us  here  to  try  to  penetrate  into  the  deeper  sanctities  of 
his  nature.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  from  first  to  last 
religion  was  the  most  real  thing  in  his  life.  He  believed 
in  the  presence  and  control  of  God  as  a  fact  of  daily  ex- 
perience. Brought  up  in  the  simple  evangelicalism  of 
an  older  day,  his  faith  remained  in  its  essentials  unaffected 
by  the  changes  in  modern  thought.  Speaking  once  to 
a  friend,  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  he  said,  "That  is  the 
religion  that  you  and  I  need."  His  belief  in  immortality 
was  unwavering,  his  reverence  for  the  Bible  sincere,  his 
conviction  that  religion  was  the  only  solvent  for  human 
ills  unshaken.  These  were  not  things  of  which  he  often 
talked,  for  he  did  not  carry  his  heart  upon  his  lips,  but 
those  who  came  into  intimate  contact  with  him  knew 
where  he  stood.  He  had  a  wide  acquaintance  with  men 
of  all  churches,  and  numbered  many  clergymen  among  his 
intimate  friends.  They  felt  in  him  a  kindred  spirit  and 
could  open  to  him  the  secrets  of  their  hearts,  sure  of  being 
understood.  "What  we  need,"  he  once  said  to  President 
Hall,  speaking  of  the  training  of  men  for  the  ministry, 
"is  more  of  the  spirit  of  Christ."  His  life  brought  him 
into  contact  with  many  men  who  held  high  positions  in 
the  world's  eye,  but  he  judged  them  not  by  their  outward 
position,  but  by  the  standard  which  he  had  learned  in 
the  school  of  Christ,  and  among  his  true  friends  were 


THE  INNER  LIFE  239 

many  of  whom  the  world  knew  nothing,  but  in  whom 
he  had  found  that  spirit  of  consecration  which  was  to 
him  the  true  test  of  greatness. 

Such,  then,  are  some  of  the  main  features  of  the  pict- 
ure which  we  catch  as  we  look  back  through  the  lights 
and  shadows  of  the  years,  and  ask  what  manner  of  man 
it  is  who  has  been  our  companion  on  the  journey.  To 
him,  as  to  all  men,  the  years  brought  their  changes. 
More  than  once  we  have  had  occasion  to  refer  in  these 
pages  to  a  certain  mellowing  and  ripening  which  his 
friends  detected  in  Mr.  Jesup  with  advancing  years.  It 
was  not  that  his  convictions  changed,  but  that  his  per- 
spective broadened,  that  he  came  to  see  aspects  of  truth 
which  he  had  not  hitherto  perceived,  and  to  make  room 
in  his  heart  for  men  from  whose  views  he  had  formerly 
differed.  We  have  seen  this  in  his  attitude  to  the  Sunday 
question;  we  have  seen  it  in  his  attitude  to  Union  Semi- 
nary in  connection  with  the  controversy  over  Dr.  Briggs. 
He  was  always  open-minded,  he  was  always  learning,  he 
was  always  growing.  He  never  stopped,  one  felt  he  never 
would  stop.  He  was  himself  in  the  never-ceasing  develop- 
ment of  his  own  character  a  powerful  argument  for  that 
immortality  in  which  he  so  unquestioningly  believed. 

As  we  call  to  memory  his  stately  and  gracious  presence, 
his  great  heart,  his  sense  of  his  high  calling,  the  words  of 
the  friend,  already  recorded,  rise  unbidden  to  our  lips: 
*'He  has  made  his  name  honorable  to  his  age  and  vener- 
able to  posterity;  we  recount  his  virtues,  we  commend 
his  example  to  others,  breathe  peace  to  his  ashes,  and  say 
with  Shakespeare's  character,  *  Farewell,  sweet  Prince.'  " 


INDEX 


Adams,  John  Macgregor,  35. 

Adams,  Thatcher  M.,  64;  description 
of  a  conference  with  Mayor  Grant 
on  the  cleaning  of  the  city  streets, 
67-69;  an  appreciation  of  Mr. 
Jesup  by,  209,  210,  224. 

Agassiz,  Louis,  138,  140. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, 2,  4,  23,  44;  plan  for  new 
wing,  136;  account  of  its  ori- 
gin and  purpose,  13  7-1 41;  its  in- 
corporators, 138;  letter  in  regard 
to  its  object  from  Baron  Osten 
Sacken,  143;  development,  145- 
155;  Elliott  collection  of  birds,  145; 
Maximilian  collection  of  birds  and 
mammals,  145;  Verreaux  and  Ve- 
dray  collection,  145;  Jay  collection 
of  shells,  147;  Witthaus  collection 
of  coleoptera,  147;  Hall  collection 
of  fossils,  147;  Morgan  collection 
of  gems,  163;  Loubat  collection 
of  Mexican  antiquities,  163,  168; 
Jesup  collection  of  North  American 
woods,  165;  Jesup  collection  of  eco- 
nomic entomology,  166;  Cope  collec- 
tion of  fossil  mammals,  167;  New 
Zealand  and  Rio  Negro  ethnological 
and  zoological  collections,  171, 

American  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Animals,  2. 

American  Sunday  School  Union,  2,  96. 

Armstrong,  Gen.  Samuel  Chapman, 
78. 

Audubon  Society,  2,  180,  207. 

Barnard,  William  F.,  25. 
Beirut,  Syrian  Protestant  college  at, 
96-101. 


Bickmore,  Albert  S.,  his  connection 
with  the  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, 140,  141,  145,  147,  161. 

Bishop,  Hon.  Nathan,  48. 

Black,  Rev.  Hugh,  109,  iii,  224. 

Bliss,  Cornelius  N.,  224. 

Bliss,  Howard,  president  of  Syrian 
Protestant  College,  98;  his  testi- 
mony to  Mr.  Jesup,  210,  211. 

Blodgett,  William  T.,  138. 

Boyce,  Rev.  James  P.,  73. 

Brainerd,  Cephas,  45. 

Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  3,  88. 

Briggs,  Dr.  Charles  A.,  106,  107. 

Brooks,  Bishop  Phillips,  72. 

Brown,  Dr.  Arthur,  96. 

Brown,  John  Crosby,  45;  director  of 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
106;  Mr.  Jesup's  intimate  friend,2o8. 

Bumpus,  Professor  Hermon  Carey, 
Director  of  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  152,  154,  162;  quoted,  185, 
186. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  (New  York), 
5,  43;  founded  in  1768,  113;  scope 
of,  113,  114;  action  to  relieve  suf- 
ferers in  the  Martinique  and  San 
Francisco  calamities,  121;  sends 
delegation  to  visit  the  London 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  127,  128; 
its  new  building,  128;  opening  cere- 
monies of  the  new  building,  129; 
last  address  of  Mr.  Jesup  to,  220- 
223. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  (London),  126; 
entertains  visitors  from  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  126, 
127;  the  London  banquet,  131-135. 


241 


242 


INDEX 


Chandler,  Professor,  67. 
Cheever,  Dr.,  87. 
Childrens'  Aid  Society,  27. 
Chinese  comn)issioners,  125. 
Choate,  Joseph  H.,  138,  141;  quoted, 

183,  184,  224. 
Civil  War,  references  to,  47,  114. 
Claflin  Institute,  76. 
Clark,  Charles,  29. 
Clark  &  Jesup,  29;  dealt  in  railroad 

supplies,  31. 

Cleveland,  Grover,  129. 
Colgate,  Robert,  138. 
Colgate,  Samuel,  56,  59. 
Colquitt,  Alfred  H.,  73. 
Committee  of  Five,  60,  202. 
Committee  of  Seventy,  115. 
Committee  of  Twenty-one,  66,  115. 
Comstock,  Anthony,  47;    his  work  in 

suppressing  obscene  literature,  54; 

Mr.  Jesup's  interest  and  aid,  55-59. 
Crerar,  John  {see  note),  35. 
Cuyler,  C.  C,  36. 
Cuyler,  Thomas  de  Witt,  36. 
Cuyler,  Morgan  &  Company,  36,  43. 

Dana,  Charles  A.,  138. 

Degrees  and  honors  conferred  on  Mr. 
Jesup,  24,  236. 

Devine,  Dr.,  122. 

De  Witt,  Maria  Van  Antwerp,  86, 
201. 

De  Witt  Memorial  Church,  91,  93,  94, 
202. 

De  Witt,  Dr.  Thomas,  91,  93. 

Dix,  Rev.  Morgan,  234. 

Doane,  Bishop  William  C,  intimate 
picture  of  his  relations  with  Mr. 
Jesup,  215-218. 

Dodge,  A.  G.  P.,  138. 

Dodge,  Cleveland  H.,  224. 

Dodge,  Rev.  D.  S.,  98. 

Dodge,  Jr.,  William  E.,  22,  45,  55;  a 
founder  of  Syrian  Protestant  Col- 
lege, 98;  director  of  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  106,  141; 
life-long  friend  of  Mr.  Jesup,  208. 

Dodge,   Sr.,   William   E.,    trustee  of 


Slater  Fund,  72,  98;   his  gift  to  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  160; 
D wight,  Henry,  32,  33-34. 

Elsing,  Rev.  W.  M.,  92,  94,  95. 

Farnam,  Henry,  32. 

Field,  Benjamin  H.,  138,  141. 

Five  Points  House  of  Industry,  2,  24- 
27. 

Forest  preservation,  5,  40,  60;  me- 
morial addressed  to  the  New  York 
Legislature,  61;  action  of  Chamber 
of  Commerce  in  regard  to,  115,  165. 

General  Education  Board,  3,  80. 
Gerry,  Elbridge  T.,  84. 
Gilman,  Daniel  C,  72,  74,  80. 
Green,  Andrew  H.,  139,  141. 
Green's  Farms,  12,  19. 
Greene,  Gen.  Francis  V.,  67. 
Griswold,  George,  32. 
Grosvenor,  Jasper,  28,  30. 

Haines,  William  A.,  138,  141. 

Hall,  Charles  Cuthbert,  no. 

Hall,  Professor  James,  139. 

Hall,  Dr.  John,  87. 

Hampton  Institute,  23,  76,  77,  78. 

Hayes,  ex-President,  72. 

Hepburn,  Dr.,  96. 

Hewitt,  Abram  S.,  115,  117;  statue 
of,  presented  to  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  130. 

Home  Missions,  20. 

Hospital  Saturday  and  Sunday  Asso- 
ciation, 3. 

Hull,  Charity,  15. 

Hunt's  Point,  11. 

IngersoU,  Robert  G.,  56. 
Iselin,  Adrian,  138. 

James,  D.  Willis,  106;  friendship  for 

Mr.  Jesup,  208. 
Jesup,  Charles,  8;    graduate  of  Yale, 

13;  took  up  business,  14;  marriage, 

14;    death,  14;  religious  activities, 

20. 


INDEX 


243 


Jessup,    Edward,    pioneer   settler   of 
Long    Island,    8;      magistrate    in 
Westchester  County,  11. 
Jesup,   Mrs.   Charles   (Abigail  Sher- 
wood), 8;    her  influence,  14;   force 
of  character,  20,  21;    her  son  pre- 
sented her  with  a  house,  22;    her 
son's  afifection  for,  237. 
Jesup,   Ebenezer,  surgeon  in  Conti- 
nental army,  9,  11. 
Jesup,    Ebenezer    (Major),    business 

ability,  II,  13;  public  spirit,  12. 
Jesup,  Morris  Ketchum — 
Official  positions  held  by: 

President  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  2,  113;  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  2, 
151;  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  2,  45;  New  York 
City  Mission  and  Tract  Society, 

2,  92;  Five  Points  House  of  In- 
dustry, 2,  25;  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  2,  96;  Peary  Arc- 
tic Club,  2,  195;  Sailors'  Snug 
Harbor,  2,  43,  120;  Audubon 
Society,  2;  New  England  So- 
ciety, 2;  Syrian  Protestant  Col- 
lege at  Beiriit,  2,  96. 

Vice-President  of  the  New  York 
Institution  for  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb,  2;  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  2,  108;  American  So- 
ciety for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Animals,  2;  Pilgrims* 
Society,  2;  Society  for  the  Sup- 
pression of  Vice,  3,  56. 

Treasurer  of  the  John  F.  Slater 
Fund  for  the  Education  of 
Freedmen,  3,  43,  72-77. 

Member  of  the  Peabody  Board, 

3,  80;  of  the  General  Educa- 
tion Board,  3,  80;  Rapid  Tran- 
sit Commission,  3,  43,  119. 

Trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  Hos- 
pital, 3;  Hospital  Saturday  and 
Sunday  Association,  3;  Society 
for  the  Relief  of  Half-Orphan 
and  Destitute  Children,  3;  Brick 
Presbyterian  Church,  3. 


Addresses  made  by,  at  the 

Legislature  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  61;  Hampton  Institute, 
78,  79;  Old  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  89;  Ecumenical  Con- 
ference, New  York  City,  104, 
105;  dinner  to  the  Chinese 
commissioners,  125;  opening 
ceremonies  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  131-135;  banquet 
of  the  London  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  131-135;  Museum 
of  Art,  181,  182;  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  on  retiring  from  the 
presidency,  220-221. 
Letters  of,  to 

Anthony  Comstock,  57,  58,  59; 
Alexander  E.  Orr,  70,  75,  76, 
118;  Mr.  Wanamaker,  83;  Dr. 
Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D., 
109,  no;  Chief  of  Bureau, 
Yards  and  Docks,  193-195. 
Letters  to,  from 

D wight  L.  Moody,  53;    Colonel 
George    E.    Waring,    68,    69; 
Bishop  Henry  C.  Potter,  112; 
Henry  White,  Secretary  Ameri- 
can Legation,   135;    Chamber 
of  Commerce,  his  friends  and 
associates  in,  219. 
Jesup,  Morris  Ketchum,  appearance, 
I,  2;  birth  and  parentage,  8;  ances- 
tors, 8-16;  donated  library  building 
to  Westport,  16;   early  home  train- 
ing, 17-20;  his  father's  loss  of  fort- 
une and  death,  21;  removal  to  New 
York,  22;  attendance  at  New  York 
schools,  22,  23;  his  later  interest  in 
education,  23,  24;   gifts  to  colleges, 
23;    degrees  conferred  by  leading 
colleges,  24,  236;    connection  with 
Five  Points  Mission,  24-27;  gift  to 
Children's  Aid  Society,  27;    when 
twelve   years    old    began  work    in 
office,  28;   rose  to  responsible  posi- 
tion, 29;    formed  partnership  with 
Charles  Clark,  29-32;    early  busi- 
ness friends,  32;    business  trip  to 
Wales,  33-34;  association  with  John 


244 


INDEX 


S.  Kennedy  and  formation  of  new 
firm,  34-35;  later  partners  were 
John  Crerar,  John  Paton,  and  C.  C. 
Cuyler,  35-36;  firm  name  changed 
several  times,  36;  railroad  interests, 
36-39;  his  business  training  made 
a  basis  for  sound  philanthropic 
views,  36,  40-41 ;  his  reasons  for  re- 
tiring from  business,  42-43;  relig- 
ious, philanthropic,  educational,  and 
civic  activities,  43-44;  member  and 
officer  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  45-48; 
treasurer  of  Christian  Commission, 
48-50;  member  of  the  International 
Railroad  Committee  of  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
51-53;  his  aid  to  the  San  Francisco 
Y.  M.  C.  A,  52,  53;  Dwight  L. 
Moody  his  intimate  friend,  52,  53; 
sympathy  with  crusade  started  by 
Anthony  Comstock,  54-59;  action 
in  regard  to  the  preservation  of  the 
Adirondack  forests,  61-63;  his  work 
in  establishing  an  efficient  Street 
Cleaning  Department,  64-68;  his 
opinion  of  Booker  T.  Washington's 
book,  69;  his  opposition  to  slavery, 
49;  deep  impression  created  by 
visiting  a  Richmond  slave  market, 
7 1 ;  belief  in  industrial  education  for 
the  negro,  70-80;  interest  in  gen- 
eral education,  79-80;  became  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  87; 
his  work  as  trustee  and  president  of 
the  City  Mission  and  Tract  Society, 
91-95;  for  Foreign  Missions,  96; 
the  Syrian  Protestant  College  at 
Beiriit  his  special  charge,  96-101; 
extract  from  Sun:  "Mr.  Jesup  in 
Syria,"  101-103;  his  efforts  in  be- 
half of  missionaries  in  Turkey,  loi; 
serves  on  committee  to  open  the 
Ecumenical  Conference  in  New 
York  City,  103-105;  connection 
with  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary, 106-112;  foundation  of  the 
Jesup  Graduate  Chair  of  Preaching, 
108;  presentation  of  home  for  the 
Union  Settlement,  108;  duties  as 
president  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 


merce, 1 1 5-1 20;  co-operation  with 
Alexander  Orr  in  public  service, 
69,  75,  1 1 5-1 20;  personal  attention 
in  relieving  the  survivors  of  the 
Martinique  and  San  Francisco  ca- 
lamities, 121-122;  courtesies  shown 
to  eminent  foreigners,  123-124;  a 
delegate  to  the  London  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  126-128;  contributes 
generously  to  the  building  for  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
128;  opening  ceremonies  of  the 
same,  129,  130;  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  his 
connection  with,  as  founder,  138; 
fitness  as  president  of,  1 51-153; 
successful  administration  of,  153- 
155;  generous  contributions  to,  154, 
165-168,  171;  endowment  of,  186; 
high  tributes  to  his  valuable  services 
by  Mr.  Choate,  President  Osborn, 
and  Director  Bumpus,  183-186; 
Peary,  how  his  attention  was 
directed  to,  188-191;  first  meeting 
with,  192;  his  interest  and  faith  in, 
193-197;  formation  of  the  Peary 
Arctic  Club,  195;  Mr.  Jesup's  mar- 
riage, 201;  his  home  in  New  York, 
202;  some  distinguished  guests,  203, 
204;  his  pictures,  203,  204;  books 
of  travel  his  delight,  204;  his  home 
at  Irvington,  205;  his  cottage  at 
Bar  Harbor,  205;  fondness  for  his 
home  at  Lenox,  206;  his  love  for 
animals,  206;  for  trees,  207;  clubs 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  207; 
sterling  qualities  of  his  friends, 
208;  tributes  to  his  character  from 
President  Bliss,  Mrs.  Patterson, 
Thatcher  Adams,  Rev.  Dr.  Rich- 
ards, Bishop  Lawrence,  and  Bishop 
Doane,  208-218;  from  Professor 
Sloane,  224-227;  from  General 
Porter,  224-227;  his  retirement 
from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
219;  last  address  to  that  body,  220, 
221;  his  ill  health,  222;  his  death  at 
his  New  York  home,  223;  funeral 
service,    223-224;    his    inner    life, 


INDEX 


245 


231-239;  honors  conferred  on  him, 
236. 

Jesup,  Kennedy  &  Adams,  35. 

Jesup  &  Company,  M.  K.,  34-36. 

Jesup,  Paton  &  Company,  36. 

Jesup  collection  of  economic  entomol- 
ogy, 166. 

Jesup  collection  of  North  American 
woods,  163-166. 

Jesup  Graduate  Chair  of  Preaching, 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  128. 

Jesup  Hall,  Williams  College,  23. 

Jesup  Memorial  Library,  Westport 
16,  20. 

Kennedy,  John  S.,  partner  in  M.  K. 
Jesup  &  Company,  34-35;  later 
established  the  firm  of  John  S. 
Kennedy  &  Company,  36;  friendly 
relations  with  Mr.  Jesup,  208. 

Ketchum,  Morris,  28,  32. 

King,  Jr.,  David  H.,  67. 

King,  James  G.,  115. 

Kinnicutt,  Mrs.  Francis  P.,  29. 

Landberg  collection  of  Arabic  manu- 
scripts, 23. 

Lanier,  Charles,  45,  224. 

Lawrence,  Bishop,  his  appreciation  of 
Mr.  Jesup,  213-215. 

Lebanon  Chapel,  92-95. 

Low,  Mayor,  129. 

McBurney,  Robert  R.,  45. 
Marble  Collegiate  Church,  87. 
Maria  De  Witt  Jesup  Foundation,  97, 

100. 
Marshall,  Dr.  James,  93,  94. 
Mason,  R.  B.,  32. 
Monroe,  Elbert  B.,  45. 
Moody,  D wight  L.,  47;   campaign  in 

San  Francisco,  S2»53. 
Morgan,  J.  Pierpont,  45,  66,  84,  183, 

224. 
Morley,  John,  123. 
National  Liberal  League,  56. 
New  England  Society,  2,  16. 
New  York  City  Mission  and  Tract 


Society,  2,  5,  20;  Mr.  Jesup's  con- 
nection with,  92-95. 

New  York  Institution  for  the  Instruc- 
tion of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  2. 

New  York  Municipal  Society,  65. 

Olivet,  first  City  Mission  church,  91. 

Olmsted,  Frederick,  172. 

Orr,  Alexander,  69,  75,  76,  115,  119; 
president  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 117;  proposed  a  special 
building  for  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, 128;  sympathy  extended  to, 
in  illness,  221. 

Osborn,  Henry  Fairfield,  4,  157,  161, 
162;  quoted,  184,  185;  Peary's 
letter  to,  199,  200,  224. 

Parish,  Henry,  138. 

Parsons,  John  E.,  16,  20,  224. 

Parsons,  William  B.,  chief  engineer 
on  the  subway,  118. 

Paton  &  Company,  John,  36,  43. 

Peabody  Education  Fund,  3,  80. 

Peary  Arctic  Club,  2,  formation  of, 
195,  196. 

Peary,  Robert  E.,  4,  44,  his  meeting 
with  Mr.  Jesup,  188-192;  discovery 
of  meteorites  now  in  the  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  193;  polar  expedi- 
ditions  of,  195-200;  birth  of  the 
Peary  Arctic  Club,  195;  financial 
aid  from  Mr.  Jesup,  196;  the  Roose- 
velt, 196,  199;  his  tribute  to  Mr. 
Jesup,  199-200. 

Peary,  Mrs.  Robert,  her  plans  for 
sending  relief  to  her  husband, 
190;  interview  with  Mr.  Jesup, 
191,  202. 

Pease,  Rev.  L.  M.,  25. 

Pilgrims'  Society,  2,  16. 

Porter,  General  Horace,  his  tribute  to 
Morris  K.  Jesup,  224-227. 

Post,  M.  D.,  Rev.  George,  98,  100. 

Potter,  Bishop,  112. 

Potter,  Howard,  138,  141. 

Presbyterian  Hospital,  3. 

Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  visit  of,  116, 
123. 


246 


INDEX 


Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg,  visit  of, 
116,  123. 

Putnam,  Professor  Frederick  W.,  cu- 
rator of  the  department  of  anthro- 
pology, 168. 

Railroads:  Rock  Island,  32;  Illinois 
Central,  32;  New  York,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford,  32;  Chicago  &  Alton, 
36;  Dubuque  &  Sioux  City,  36; 
Cedar  Falls  &  Minnesota,  36; 
Southern  Railway,  37;  Atlantic 
Coast  Line,  37;  Northeastern  Rail- 
road of  South  Carolina,  37;  Savan- 
nah, Florida  &  Western,  37;  To- 
ledo, Peoria  &  Western,  37;  Pennsyl- 
vania, 37;  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  37-39;  Natchez,  Jackson 
&  Columbus,  37;  Keokuk  & 
Western,  37-39,  43;  Missouri,  Iowa 
&  Nebraska,  38;  Havana  &  Ran- 
toul  &  Eastern,  37. 

Rapid  Transit  Commission,  3;  de- 
velopment of  subways,  117,  118. 

Richards,  Dr.,  88;  impression  made 
on  first  meeting  with  Mr.  Jesup, 
211-213,  224. 

Rockefeller,  John  D.,  his  gift  to  the 
cause  of  education,  80, 

Rogers,    Ketchum     &     Bement,    29, 

32- 
Rogers,  Ketchum    &  Grosvenor,  28, 

44. 
Rogers  Locomotive  Works,  30. 
Roosevelt,  Theodore,  84,  129. 
Roosevelt,    Theodore,    father   of   the 

ex-President,  138,  141. 

Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  2,  43;  founda- 
tion of,  120;  trustees  of,  120;  Mr. 
Jesup's  financial  policy  for,  121. 

Sanitary  Commission,  United  States, 
48. 

Sargent,  Professor  Charles  S.,  164; 
quoted,  166. 

Schauffler,  Dr.,  superintendent  of  City 
Mission  and  Tract  Society,  92. 

Schuyler,  George,  32; 

Schuyler,  Robert,  32. 


Shefiield,  Joseph,  32. 
Sherman,  Benjamin  B.,  138. 
Sherwood,  Abigail,  8,  14,  20. 
Sherwood,    Hon.    Samuel    Burr,    8, 

14-15- 
Slater,  John  F.,  78. 
Slater,  William  A.,  73. 
Slater    Fund    for    the    Education    of 

Freedmen,  3,  5,   43,  60;  donation 

and    management    of,    72-77;    81, 

202. 
Slater  -  Armstrong      Trade       School, 

77- 

Sloane,  Professor  William  E.,  his  trib- 
ute to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Jesup 
before  the  members  of  the  Century 
Association,  227-230. 

Society  for  the  Relief  of  Half-Orphan 
and  Destitute  Children,  3. 

Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Vice,  3, 
founding  of,  56,  202. 

Steward,  D.  Jackson,  138. 

Stewart,  John  A.,  73. 

Spelman  Institute,  76. 

Straus,  Oscar  S.,  loi. 

Strong,  Hon.  William,  L.,  68,  115. 

Stuart,  George  H.,  48. 

Stuart,  Robert  L.,  137;  president  of 
the  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
138,  141,  147. 

Sturges,  Jonathan,  32. 

Syrian  Protestant  College  at  Beirtit,  2, 
5,  23,  44,  96-101;  Mr.  Jesup's  in- 
terest in  and  support  of,  101-103. 

Teachers'  Endowment  Fund,  Harvard, 

23- 
Terry,  John  H.,  224. 
Tuskegee  Institute,  23. 

Union  Theological  Seminary,  2;  found- 
ed in  1837,  105- 

Union  Theological  Seminary  at  Pe- 
king, 96. 

Union  Settlement,  108. 

United  States  Christian  Commission, 

47-50- 
Vanderbilt,  Cornelius,  51. 


INDEX 


247 


Van  Dyke,  Rev.  Henry,  224. 
Vaux,  Calvert,  148. 

Waite,  Chief -Justice,  72. 

Waring,  Col.  George  E.,  68,  69. 

Washington,  Booker  T.,  69. 

Westport,  8,  16. 

Wetmore,  A.  R.,  92. 

Williams,    Sir    George,    founder    of 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  movement,  46. 
Wolfe,  Catharine  L.,  contributor  to 


the  American  Museum  of  Natural 

History,  147. 
Wolfe,  John  David,  president  of  the 

Museum  of  Natural  History,  138, 

141,  146,  181. 
Wortman,  Dr.  J.  L.,  167. 
Wright,  Sarah,  13. 

Yale  College,  23,  24. 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
2,  33;  organized,  44;  founders,  45. 


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